• About
  • Speaking
  • Consulting
  • Amber Hinds

  • Journal
  • Press
  • Contact

Amber Hinds

Nantucket, MA
Life, Nantucket Island
/
April 6, 2012

What I’ve Been Doing Instead of Blogging…

It seems like it’s been forever since I wrote an actual blog post (nearly a week!), but we’ve been hard at work and play the last few days.

I finished up a website for Caitlin Marcoux, my fabulous yoga teacher and new friend, early in the week and have spent a lot of time finalizing websites for The SeaGrille restaurant and Nantucket Chowder Company (hopefully both will go live soon), so most of my “downtime” at home has been spent on webdesign and graphic design.  Next to be finished is a site for Deborah Friedson, an artist, author, and CF supporter in New York, and I have a few other projects in the works, too, so I’ve got plenty to keep me busy for a while.

When I wasn’t working this week, I was having a lot of fun exploring new things with Nora.

We went to an art class at the Artist Association.Nora’s friend Miss E and her mama treated us to it, and it gave us plenty of opportunities to be creative and, even more fun, to be messy.

(Thanks, Miss E!)

We visited Chris at work and ate a super delicious dinner,

then went to an amazing magic show at the Atheneum’s family night which captivated both Nora and me.

The magician was fantastic to watch; he was hilarious and engaging, perfect for kids and adults alike.  But even more so, I loved to watch Nora.I don’t think I will ever stop loving watching her experience the world.  The look on her face at the show was priceless.

On top of fun activities, we started getting back into walking mode (which we had all abandoned to the ease of the car in the past month).  On Sunday, we actually made the 2.5 mi trek to Tiny Tumblers on foot,which gave us the opportunity to admire some gorgeous new spring scenery.Yesterday, we enjoyed a romp in the sand with Chris and Pip at Jetties, where a kind stranger offered us a rare opportunity for a complete family photo.

And, of course, there was Town Meeting.This was the first time either Chris or I had attended Town Meeting, and I am so glad we went.  It’s wonderful to feel like I really have a say in what is going on in my community and it was neat to see how everything works.  Of course, neither Chris nor I wanted to miss out on our chance to vote and since we don’t have a babysitter, little Miss came along too.(I don’t have a good picture, because I was trying not to be distracting to the people around us.)

We took a bag full of toys and snacks, and Nora did a good job of playing quietly for the four hours of discussion and voting before lunch.  She sat on Chris’ lap and raised her hand to be counted when election workers were counting hands during the wind turbine vote (which failed, boo).  She colored all over my copy of the warrant and when she got tired of her toys, she made us laugh by doing yoga on the floor in front of her seat (lately, she is pretty much happy to do yoga anywhere).

The discussion and vote on Sachem’s Path didn’t happen until after the lunch.  Chris stayed as long as he could, but it didn’t end up happening before he had to go to work, so Nora and I had to represent our family on our own.  Chris had planned to stand up and talk (anyone can talk for 2 minutes during the discussion leading up to the vote), but with him at work, I had to speak for us.  I don’t think I have ever been more nervous in my life, and to be honest, I couldn’t even tell you exactly what it was that I said, except that a project like this could be the only feasible way for us to stay on island permanently.  Nerves combined with how important Sachem’s Path is to our family got the better of me; I was more emotional than I wanted to be in front of 700 people (which is exactly why it should have been Chris doing the talking!).  Certainly, I was much less eloquent than I was in Friday’s blog post — when I sat down, it was all I could do to keep Nora contained (she was pretty stir crazy at that point) and keep myself from throwing up.  But apparently what I said made a difference, and the voters went against the finance committee and voted to add the $990,000 back into the town budget.

Chris and I are so incredibly excited that Sachem’s Path is one more step closer to reality.  We have been working very hard in the past six months to pay off our student debt and start saving for a down payment.  Now we just have to hope we will be one of the lucky families who qualify to buy a home.

TAGS:Brotherhood of TheivesFoodFriendsSachem's Path
2 Comments
Share
  • Jessica
    April 6, 2012

    Great job! Wish I could have been at Town Mtg instead of work. Quoted in the Inky! Way to go Amber πŸ™‚

    Reply
  • Lovelorn Poets
    April 6, 2012

    Great post and photos, Amber – I always love reading what’s been happening. That’s AMAZING news about the housing vote. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well for you. Tell Chris and Nora I say hi! P.S. Love Nora doing yoga at the town meeting – we’ll all have to do some together the next time I come out. πŸ™‚

    Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Comment

Recipe Rating




Previous Post
Wordless Wednesday: At Jetties
Next Post
Film Friday: March in the Kitchen

Life Right Now

aucoeur

View

Feb 7

8 1
Open
I started a podcast with Chris and our business partner, Steve! We'll be releasing episodes every Monday on website accessibility and craft beverages. Check it out or subscribe at AccessibilityCraft.com.

#podcast #podcaster #accessibility #accessibilityforall #accessibilitymatters #accessible #a11y #WordPress #webdesign #webdevelopment #websitedesign #ux #usability

aucoeur

View

Jan 22

12 2
Open
It's that time again... Girl Scout cookies! And this year we have two selling. Help them meet their cookies sales goals by ordering online. 

If you live nearby, choose girl delivery and help get cookie boxes out of our garage... Otherwise we're going to be giving them Girl Scout  Cookies for birthday and Christmas presents all year.

Addie's link: https://tinyurl.com/2os3rmdy

Zara's link: https://tinyurl.com/2nev4fs3

aucoeur

View

Nov 30

15 2
Open
Bus stop selfie with Nora. This week she moved from her tiny charter school with only 18 eighth graders to the public middle school with over 200. And now she rides the bus.

The charter school wasn't challenging her enough, has a huge percentage of students who are disruptive in the classroom, and has been having trouble keeping teachers. Last year she loved it. But this year it was one thing after another, so right before Thanksgiving she and I went to go tour our neighborhood  middle school, and she immediately wanted to make the switch.

We've never had a kid in public school and I was nervous about how the transition would go from such a small school to a big one, but so far she's loving it and is glad she decided to move schools. It helps that she knows kids there already from her dance team. Hopefully she'll still be happy when she starts getting homework. Coming from a no homework school that may be a shock to us all.

aucoeur

View

Nov 16

7 0
Open
My three year old girl. πŸ’•

aucoeur

View

Nov 1

11 0
Open
Halloween 2022. Two witches, a murderous cat, and a creepy Victorian doll. 

Zara's costume was my favorite this year - Nora did her makeup and she wore my flower girl dress from my mom and step-dad's wedding. She might have worn it better. πŸ˜‚
  • Start Reading
  • Explore Topics
  • Get in Touch
  • Subscribe

COPYRIGHT Β© 2020 AMBER HINDS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Site Powered by Pix & Hue.