five years...

Five years ago, I married the love of my life and best friend.

I can't imagine my life without him.

I love his

smile

kind heart

laugh

generous nature

handsome face

creativity

passion

Happy Anniversary Darling

catching up...

Very recently a friend said to me, "I miss your blog." Really? Someone misses something that I put out into the world that relaxes me and makes me feel connected?

This blog has always felt a bit selfish. It is a way to communicate the happenings of our family in a way that is easy to share and without time constraint. Typing into this blogger box, even if only for a few minutes, makes me feel relaxed and well with the world.

But then things just get in the way. A few people mentioned in passing that the blog was difficult to stay on top of and asked that I post more things on facebook. Then a random stranger commented on a post and made me hesitate to write more (I deleted their comment). And I started to doubt that this space was important.... important to me and to our friends and family.

I know that I am a twenty-something and should love and thrive with facebook, but it is hard for me to balance the hundreds of people who share information constantly. I always feel behind and like I'm not being a good friend if I don't read everything they share. This makes the times when I turn off the computer for a few days to be very stressful. In facebook-land I feel like I'm competing for space. It is difficult to express an emotion in a short blurb that I know will end up in people's newsfeed (and let's face it, I'm never short on words). Facebook is wonderful. It has allowed me to connect with people that I haven't seen in years and keeps me updated on great friends who are just as busy as I am. It just isn't my favorite place to spend time. But this blog is.

So...thank you to my wonderful friend (ahem...Mary) who spoke a kind word that rekindled my joy in speaking in this space.

It feels great to be back!

the Word

hello sweethearts

I love Valentine's Day.

I love any excuse to decorate with pink things, cut out hearts, and mail little love notes.

This year, life is a bit busy. I knew that little heart day was just around the corner, but it arrived without me noticing.

So, no little love notes went out in the mail. My sweet husband didn't get a

Valentine. I didn't even wear pink.

But I did appreciate the adorable birds on our grocery store windows.

fear vs faith

you never know who might show up!

we flew home to surprise Mom & Dad for their 30th wedding anniversary

all it takes

Someone hurt my feelings. And I didn't really handle the situation well. I felt like a victim and probably could convince you of the same. Instead of letting it get the better of me, I wrote an apology note.

Yes. An apology note.

When my husband heard that I planned on writing an apology note to someone who had wronged me, he was flummoxed. But the truth is, I needed to take responsibility for my actions and thoughts (even if they didn't see them).

That note was healing. For both parties.

We all make mistakes. We all have the ability to say something unkind or let our mind be filled with unsympathetic thoughts.

I wonder what the world would look like if we all took a bit more personal responsibility, even when it minimally our fault.