Embracing Our Weirdness

I love my kids. They are wonderfully weird and I’m here for it. I love their quirks and the fact that they aren’t embarrassed about doing the things that they love. Adults tend to overthink things all of the time, and it sometimes causes us to lose our love of life, and the luster that makes us so amazing in the first place. After eating pizza at Fire Flour in Bismarck, we stumbled upon the Bismarck Alley Art and immediately settled in for a photo shoot. 

I don’t know if you watched the episode of the Harry Show where the kids and I are doing a space activity on the floor of my kitchen, but there was a moment where Sir Twizzler gets up to do a victory dance when he matches a set of planets, or stars, or whatever space related item he matched. I remember thinking in my head that he was being even sillier than he normally is, and that it was because of the cameras in the house. Except, it wasn’t. It’s because Sir Twizzler is so delightfully weird all of the time that it doesn’t matter if there are cameras filming his shenanigans or not. 

We’ve been on the road a lot this year, and I find that I’m able to get amazing photos when I let them freely pose instead of telling them to huddle together and give me the normal corny smile. What’s even more amazing is the fact that their silliness sets me at peace to be just as silly with them, and to show them that it’s okay for adults to let loose sometimes. 

One of the places that we visited in North Dakota was Bismarck, and there was an AMAZING alley full of art that we took advantage of before hitting the road again. The art was beautiful, and bright, and the perfect backdrop for us to show our chops at posing on the fly. 

 

Can I just take a moment to say how much I love these pants? They just pull up and I don’t have to fuss with a zipper or a button. I don’t care if you don’t like them, because I do, and they are perfect for traveling in, and walking the streets of cities that I’m touring. 

Anyway, back to the post. This alley was full of different paintings by local Bismarck artists, and right up my alley (see what I did there?) for photography. The kids loved all of the different ways that the artists showcased their talents, and even recognized some symbols of North Dakota in a lot of the pieces. 

 

You haven’t lived until you’ve stood wide legged in front of amazing art in the middle of an alley. A place where your mother usually tells you to stay out of. A place where beauty and fun isn’t usually found. Look at those faces and tell me that we shouldn’t live like this every single day. 

I’m up for the challenge. Are you?