saturday mornings

When I was little, Saturday's were my favorite because everyone was home. My parents didn't have to be at work. The kids didn't have to go to school. And on really good Saturdays, my dad would make pancakes. We had no where to be and could hang around in our pj's if we wanted. It was the best.

 

You see, that type of morning hasn't happened for a very long time. Where we had nothing planned or trying to steal out attention. We didn't have to put together wedding programs or run to Hobby Lobby. We just had to sit and be present.

 

This past Saturday morning involved drinking coffee out of a mug while sitting on my couch in my house eating breakfast that I made. That has been a rarity in the past few months. But it was so welcome this weekend. I woke up on Saturday at 7:30 a.m., which can be a struggle most days. After a miserable attempt to fall back asleep, I decided to pull myself out of bed. I made coffee. I read. I did laundry. I picked up the house. All while being in my pajamas, still sipping my delightful coffee.

 

My mister rolled himself out of bed around 10:30 a.m., which again never happens because he is typically the early riser, but it may or may not have been because he stayed up until three the night before finishing the Harry Potty marathon we had been having that week. I, on the other hand, still have to figure out what happens in the last 45 minutes of each movie. Regardless, we drank some more coffee and ate some pancakes, and were happy as two clams.

 

As much as I love weddings and have loved being a bride, I am truly enjoying being a wife so much more. There is a simplistic beauty that comes with it. No fancy dress, no pearls. Just me and my husband. These are my new favorite Saturday mornings.



hello, again

I'm baaack and with a new last name. woah, a lot has happened since I last visited the blog. Got married, traveled to a foreign country, moved into a new house and then returned to work. I will spare you the details of the wedding for now, at least until I get the pictures back, but to sum it up:  it was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better day, filled with the best people with the perfect ending. We are truly blessed. The honeymoon was pretty similar: it was also pretty perfect. Yes, a little sunburn and too much food, but most of our toughest decisions were whether we wanted to go to the beach or the pool and where to eat for dinner. Not to shabby for this girl. It was a great way to reconnect with my love after a few busy and semi-stressful months.

Since we returned from the honeymoon, we've spent most of our time trying to assemble a semi-decent looking home. It was a disaster area when we left and we have very slowly been turning it into our cozy, little home. It's been so fun to finally use our new dinnerware and drink out of our new red wine glasses. It's been a dream for so long to set up a home with my husband and now I actually am getting to do it. Although, I know we won't live here forever, but this is our first home as husband and wife.

And everyone keeps asking me if I feel different and I feel bad when I say, no not really. I'm not sure if people expect that your whole life changes instantly after your wedding. And even though it does change everything, it doesn't feel much different, yet. We're still the same goofy couple that we were a month ago and we still have the same types of conversations and laughs. Although, it is great to know that every day I get to come home to the same man and that we are just beginning the first steps of this new journey. But then again, it's only been a little over two weeks and I'm just trying to figure out what to make my husband for dinner tonight. To be continued...

here are a few images from the last few weeks.

 

 

 

1. the first dinner i made as a wife

2. winnie's new favorite place to sleep

3. front door

4. our first grown up purchase

single digits

If a man does not exercise his arm, he develops no bicep muscles, and if a man does not exercise his soul, he acquires no muscle in his soul...nor beauty of spiritual growth. Love is not a thing of enthusiastic emotion. It is a rich, strong, manly, vigorous express of the whole round Christian character-- the Christ --like nature in its fullest development.

~ Henry Drummond

today marks the first day of single digits. In just 9 days, I will pass off my old self and become joined with my love as husband and wife. It's a surreal thought but one of great anticipation. Even though I've failed at blogging recently, today I am officially stating that I will not be posting for the next two and a half weeks.

so the next time we meet, I will be a mrs.

ps - I want to give a quick shout out to sweet baby Olly who came into the world this week. congrats to one of my dearest friend, kristyn, you will be a beautiful momma.

overwhelmed

That is the word that I would use to describe myself these days. Overwhelmed with last minute details. Overwhelmed with packing and moving. Overwhelmed with decisions. But the best is being overwhelmed with blessings. As there is so much going on these days, the one thing that helps me stay grounded  is the unbelievable love and joy that I am experiencing.

Saturday was my final bridal shower -- a bridal tea actually. My grandmother, mother, aunts, cousins and bridesmaids worked so hard to put on such a wonderful day. We enjoyed tasty tea, with tea pots and tea cups, delicious treats and mini desserts, and lots of laughs and smiles. The day left me tired but so overwhelmed with love that I almost couldn't take it all in.

Sunday was spent again with my mom, aunt and cousin, making the wedding flowers. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when we started but they turned out gorgeous. I am so thrilled. We quickly celebrated my baby brothers 17th birthday and then I headed back to Indiana.

The drive home I just basked in just how truly blessed I am. The people that I have in my life are truly some of the most generous and loving people I know. I can't imagine life any other way and I am so thankful for each and everyone of them. To see people come together is what life is about, to celebrate in one another.

The wedding is almost here and I'm sure it'll be nothing short of overwhelming these last two weeks but it's the people that make each step worth it.

life update

Well, it's official. I am really failing at blogging right now. I apologize and I feel like my brain is in a million different places but one of them is not my blog. So, please forgive me. Between work, wedding and moving (oh, did I mention we're moving?), I barely have enough memory left to remember where I put my keys.

As if we weren't busy enough, we've decided to add moving to the list of to do's before the big day. We're staying in the same town but we're getting a new home. A townhouse; that will be both of ours together. It's strange, but awesome, to have both of our names on the lease. I am thoroughly excited about living in a townhouse with two stories and two bathrooms! There is a lot of counter space and storage. The best part...there is a dishwasher. No more scrubbing dishes. Thank goodness.

I am so excited to be able to come to our home after the honeymoon and, as my mom calls it, play house. I am really looking forward to the next season of life that will begin in our new townhouse.

Just 24 more days.

one month

dear future mr,

one month from now, i will be your mrs. can you even believe it, because i can't. i can't believe that its already been almost ten months, let alone the two years we've been together. time goes so fast. i'm excited for all the first that will come in the next year. our first address together, our first vacation, our first christmas as a married couple, our first joint bank account. so many firsts to be had. as excited as i am about all those firsts, i'm more excited about the everyday. coming home to you everyday, sharing your last name with you everyday, cooking for you (almost) everyday, waking up to you everyday. i'm ready to share in every day with you. the good ones and the bad ones too, although i may not feel that way in the moment. because when it comes down to it, there isn't anyone else that i want by my side on a bad day. you know how to make me smile, even when i don't want to. you make me laugh harder than anyone else. you make me feel like i can overcome the world. your are exactly the person that i need to be with me to get through every day. and that is exactly why i believe that God has brought us together. not for all the big moments, but to love each other through the everyday moments. to share together in the little joys of life. yes, there will be many big moments, too, but not as often as the other. life for the past six months has really been, well, crazy and its not going to slow down just yet. but when it does, i am excited that you will still be there each and every day.

love,

me

lately, again

Apparently, I went completely MIA for about two weeks. Sorry about that...but I can show you what I've been up to.

 

1. My new DIY studio (aka my garage)

2. Road trip to the future in laws

3. Date night with the future hubs

4. Our new (to us) kitchen table

5. Back to Illinois

6. Got to hang out with this week girl for 5 days

7. I did this. Yep. Pretty proud of myself. 

8. Baby cow at the fair

9. Draft horse heaven

10. Draft horse heave part two

11. Gentle giant

The past two weeks have been packed full of events and it seemed to just fly by! With the wedding quickly approaching, I am finding that the days are slipping away so quickly, hence my lack of blog posts. I am also finding that the busier I am becoming the less my thoughts are flowing which also contributes to the lack of blog material. Hopefully I can conjure up a few more posts before the big day.

But I did manage to take sometime and venture back home to Illinois to the good ole' county fair. If you don't already know, it's probably my favorite time of the year, read this. This year I was reminded so much of how many good people there really are in our world. So often we're bombarded with bad news, but being back in the small town, county life style, life was slower and gentler. It was good to be in an environment where people have such passion for things such as family, 4-H, agriculture and a lot of the basic foundations of what our lives are built on. I think that's while my heart often aches for the simplicity of small town life. There is a certain type of wholeness and goodness that exists there. I'm so thankful I got to experience it again this year.