I’m sitting here waiting for my Mom to get out of surgery. Not something I want to get into at the moment, as it’s been a pretty stressful last few months living at doctors offices between myself, Jake and my parents. But for now, I wanted to post about something positive in honor of my Mom. . My Mom’s a survivor, a woman of incredible taste and flair, with pinks or purples or blues in her hair as she’s always been childlike and fun. 👩🏻‍🎤 She’s a Mother whose a fierce supporter, and a selfless giver. She’s a Woman with incredible moral character whose acceptance of everyone, from any walk of life, made her the Mom all my brothers friends, and my friends, talked too about their problems. Our house was often a place of refuge for others. She was the Mom who got you, who listened and empathized with you. I’ve learned growing up, that I too have that quality. And though it can often be a heavy burden with a costly toll, it’s a heavenly gift that shines light in the world ☀️ , and for it, I am eternally grateful. . My Mother and I share a love of rocks, gems and minerals 💎❤️🪨 . Around 10 years old, my Mom and I joined a local Rock and Mineral club, and the Rockhound in me was born. My Grandmother was a archeologist/geologist and this love affair with natures igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic formations has been passed down by the women in my family for 3 generations. . In these photos we went down to a mine in San Diego for our collective birthdays. We came away with some amazing finds of tourmaline, morganite, aquamarine, lepidolite, garnet, quartz and more. . #mothers #moms #rockhounds #rocks #gems #minerals #rockhound #oceanviewmine #tourmalines #morganite #aquamarine #lepidolite #garnet #quartz #womenwhorock https://www.instagram.com/p/ChAhPX8J0OF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Curves. . #curves #curvesaresexy #blackandwhite https://www.instagram.com/p/CghdZPZJvW4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

noun: BALANCE; 1. an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady. "she lost her balance before falling" Similar: stability, equilibrium, steadiness, footing 2. a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions. "try to keep a balance between work and relaxation" Similar: fairness, justice, impartiality, egalitarianism, equal opportunity adjective: BALANCED; 1. a balanced view - fair, equitable, just, unbiased, unprejudiced, objective 2. a balanced diet - mixed, variety, healthy, sensible 3. a balanced individual - levelheaded, well-adjusted, mature, stable, sensible, practical, realistic, grounded, pragmatic, reasonable, rational, sane, even-tempered, commonsensical I hear the term balance quite often. When you mention stress or anxiety, feeling out of control or overwhelmed; your doctor, your friends, your family, all those self-help articles and yoga classes will all tell you the same thing… you need more balance. But what does balance actually mean? I think that answer will differ for everyone, based largely on what your values are. But, I do know that there is a shared life/earth balance that we all collectively feel. And let’s be honest… the life experience in these times is off-balanced, unbalanced, without friggen balance. For all of us out there trying to find what balance means to us individually AND as a collective, I keep reminding myself, balance begins in our own personal consciousness. Balance is control, and a surrender. It’s a bracing for steady footing, whilst clutching the railings with courage, as the turbulent waves toss you about. As Winston Churchill said: “It is where the balance quivers, and the proportions are veiled in mist, that the opportunity for world-saving decisions presents itself.” ✌️ . #balance #definition #life #worklifebalance #words #equality #equilibrium #stability #fairness #grounded #keeponkeepingon #steadyfooting #control #surrender #equalopportunity #cairn #beachcairns #winstonchurchill 🌈 🌟 🌊 (at Somewhere Between Here and There) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfHfS3KpWga/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Aliens are REAL Bro. . #aliens #aliensarereal #sea #ocean #cephalopod #mollusks #underwaterstargate (at Aliens ×. ×. ×) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ceg8w_0PFNX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Working on a new script ✍️ 📑 = Summer at the beach. 🌊🏖 #summervibes #cosmiccreek #mybaes #saltyhair #saltytude https://www.instagram.com/p/CebxAC3v4X-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

There was a dead baby seal on the beach this morning. As I approached it, I felt like the kids from ‘Stand By Me’ when they see the dead body. I stood there awhile. Then silently asked… Why so much chaos and destruction? I left the seal and hiked to the rocks edge. And there I sat in the chaos for a bit. In the utter madness of it all. And after a good while, when the rocks beneath my butt had permanently left marks, I reminded myself that the earth was born out of chaos and destruction. And out of that destruction came new birth, beauty and life. And I say to myself, ‘Heather, see those things too’… And I did. And it was all around me. ☯️ . #lifeanddeath #beautyanddestruction #yinandyang #chaos #beach #ocean #waves #surfing #getyourmindright #beachtherapy (at The Ocean) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeZb--fvqJ2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Well 40, you’ve arrived. You aren’t what I thought you’d look like, or feel like, but here you are. Without further ado, let’s see what trouble we can cook up for the next 40, eh? . #40thbirthday #40 #thisis40 #birthday #milestones #reflections #aging #ageism #youngatheart #wiseinspirit #life #newchapter https://www.instagram.com/p/CNC-da1pg2X/?igshid=1l3bay18ymkww

I turn 40 tomorrow. To be honest, I’m feeling all the feelings about it. . I’m not ashamed to get older. I don’t understand why we as a culture are so indignant to aging. Why many feel the need to hide their age, or why we consider 40 to be “Over the Hill”. What a damaging label of programming ‘Over the Hill’ is. Even though it is in jest, at 40, I sure as shit don’t feel over any hill. In some ways, I just started climbing. . When I look at my life, I’ve traveled the world to incredible places. I’ve tasted my own mortality and come close to death, which has made me appreciate this consciousness and corporeal form, even in those darkest of struggles. I’ve met many fascinating people from all walks of life, worked amazing jobs, and attempted countless feats that scared or challenged me. Life is hard and complicated and beautiful and electric. It’s a swirling, churning river of reflections and moments, frozen over in time like this Whitefish lake. . There is so much more in this life I still want to do, to taste, to observe, to savor and experience. And even though it feels weird to say, I’m grateful for 40. It scares me a little as this next chapter is unknown, but, so were every chapter before them. . 📸 @jakenewton . #40 #thisis40 #overthehill #birthdays #milestones #reflections #aging #ageism #youngatheart #wiseinspirit #life #newchapter #whitefish (at Whitefish, Montana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNA2IusJLLN/?igshid=y5mbh5a08tjg

Our dog Banjo is not a walker. We tried for years with treats, we watched Cesar Milan videos, and read books. We conferred with friends, and gathered data and anecdotal evidence. But still, Banjo would make it 1 house down and refuse to go further, yanking on his leash to go home. . Most dogs love to read the Facebook updates of all the other animals, but not Banjo. He sniffs, only to look up at us and say, I’d rather be at home. We tried driving him places, far away from our house. He’d walk about 50 yards from the car, squeak and dart back to our automobile. . The ONLY way we COULD get him to walk, was Jake would carry him about a mile or 2 away from the house, and this somehow shifted his animal brain into not enjoying it for an adventure, but by motivation of getting home. . Banjo’s a rescue, and we concluded long ago that there must be some trauma associated with walking, maybe that’s how he was abandoned. But we never gave up hope that he’d one day enjoy the fruits of fresh air and exercise. . And HERE, in the snowy wonderland of Montana, MY DOG WALKS! He not only walks, he charges up steep ski runs, he leads us through tunnels, and he climbs up snowy berms deep into unpaved forest. He loves snow. And maybe it’s that, and maybe it’s far quieter than Los Angeles, and maybe it was just time. . All I know is that YOU CAN teach an old dog new tricks. And I’m incredibly grateful that my animal continues to teach me life lessons. . #banjothedog #eskijack #walks #training #olddognewtricks #snow #lessons #dog #dogs #animals #gratitude #dogsofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CM2h8zuJzcO/?igshid=17ez850ia2py1

Quarantine 2020 really upped my fashion game. . #morningwalks #freshsnow #fashionista #fashion2021 https://www.instagram.com/p/CMxF5R8J2j7/?igshid=1ayvsxo6rh371

They say rock hounds never die, they just slowly petrify. 💎✨💎 . Let’s talk about another kind of stone. A kidney stone, and one of the unforeseen side effects of eating a gluten free, dairy free, plant based or vegan diet. Oxalates. . Oxalates are jam packed in your almond, cashew or soy milks, your green smoothies, your cacao powder vegan bars, your gluten free flours, paleo breads and alternative crackers, they’re loaded in your spinach bowls, in your common favorites like beans, potatoes, parsley, beets, and black teas - - and there’s like, a lot of them. And if you put collagen in your coffee, and frequently take epsom salt baths, well these both add to the load as well. . Oxalates are the natural defense system that many of the healthiest vegetables, nuts, grains and seeds possess to ward of pests and bacteria. (Which means they’re tougher to break down.) Oxalates also help plants to get rid of extra calcium and nutrients from the soil by binding with it, and this insures the plant grows properly. Trouble is, oxalates bind to calcium and other minerals in humans as well, and if the body is overwhelmed with oxalates, and cannot properly eliminate them, then they accumulate, biding to all sorts of your much needed vitamin and nutrients, and they form stones. And trust me, kidney stones are a painful hell you want no part of. . So to all my people of GAPS, SCD, Autoimmune Paleo Protocol, my vegans, my vegetarians, my Dairy-Frees and my Gluten Free’s ... check your oxalates friends and investigate ways of getting more calcium! . #kidneystones #rockhound #crystals #rocks #stones #foodforthought #oxalates #gaps #scd #vegan #autoimmunepaleoprotocol #autoimmune #vegetarian #veganism #glutenfree #dairyfree #calcium #minerals #plantbased #peaprotien #diets #alternativeeating #sideeffects #almondmilk #almondflour #soymilk #nuts #healthylifestyle https://www.instagram.com/p/CMvYf-nJYuP/?igshid=95bdi3pnb05s

Call it out by name. Stand together against hatred, bigotry, violence and assholism. #stopasianhate #protectthesacred #aapisolidarity https://www.instagram.com/p/CMnGU50pZUD/?igshid=1p360jlmbv8of

Wherever we go, our shadows follow. Even in this beautiful place, we’re not protected from our shadows. Our shadow selves are those dark and repressed places we struggle to shine light on. The places deep within us that boil to the surface from time to time, and cause us to feel depressed, ugly, rejected, and unworthy. These shadows are our traumas, our regrets, our biases, and our unfulfilled desires. . It is far easier to suppress and disown our shadows. And, we often project it onto others as a way to disown it from ourselves. But our shadows are always there, taller and scarier when we choose to keep them hidden. . In order to connect with my sacred self, I have vowed to go on a journey into my own personal underworld. A real reckoning with myself, meant to challenge, trigger and release trapped emotions, old stories, and as the James Baldwin saying goes, “to divest myself of old crutches.” . . #shadows #shadowwork #innerdemons #awakening #transformation #reckoning #self #sacredself #empaths #sacredselfcare #healing #hsp #trappedemotions #healingtraumas #nature #soulwork https://www.instagram.com/p/CMmqu4XJmRL/?igshid=15zlf74r7rmy9

As a gift to ourselves for finishing our taxes we’re hitting the slopes today. Question is... Do I ski, or do I snowboard? . OR BOTH?!?!?! 🎿❄️🏂 . And a huge thank you to @stumptownsnowboards for fixing up my snowboard. I had a little too much fun riding last week, and busted down the street over crunchy, rocky debris which ate the crap out of the bottom of my board. My board looks beautiful, THANK YOU! . #skithefish #snow #snowboarding #skiing #stumptown #stumptownsnowboards #wintersports #taxes #whitefish #montana #treatyourself (at Whitefish, Montana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMUt1cfJbq1/?igshid=lcol6nxwcd41

My little adventure dog. #banjowalks #banjothedog #montana #whitefish #skithefish #skiing #snowboarding #snow #dogs #dogsofinstagram #adventure #morningwalks https://www.instagram.com/p/CMPtEr3pdou/?igshid=1ndctp0g1ynfu

Happy International Women’s Day to all you hard-working women out there who’ve been working your asses off to tell your stories, from your perspectives. Women, whom swell and bleed and cramp to sometimes intolerable levels every month, and in spite of this, show up. Cheers to our aging skin, our wrinkles and our chin hairs that seem to be more abundant by the day, and even still, rejoicing in our changing beauty. And, cheers to fighting through the countless times we’ve been bullied, harassed or demeaned when it comes to technical knowledge or skill. From these trials, we’ve emerged as diamonds. 💎 . . 📸 by @dnellls taken on set for a music video for an incredibly badass woman @sarabareilles . . #happyinternationalwomensday #female #women #filmmakers #directors #hardworkingwomen #filmmaking #equalfooting #badasswomen https://www.instagram.com/p/CMNYaSKJtEy/?igshid=ekb6x5vkz2zg

“Just let go. Let go of how you thought your life should be, and embrace the life that is trying to work it’s way into your consciousness.” - - Caroline Myss . #wordsofwisdom #carolinemyss #montana #whitefish #skithefish #sunrise #nature #icicles #letgo #consciousness #intuition #mindfulness https://www.instagram.com/p/CMHzJP5JDNC/?igshid=1vacs7dwfjru7