sunday afternoon lunch in the city pre-proposal.
best thing
sometimes the very best things in life come as a complete surprise, when you least expect them, when you’re not even looking for them. that happened to me three months ago exactly. it’s when i first read an email from a boy who i had never met but somehow recognized his last name. he told me i was beautiful and he wanted to get to know me better.
i laughed outwardly and liked him inwardly instantly.
three months of emails, phone calls, visits, dreaming on my part, and meeting with my papa on his part, and we are here today. tonight.
he told me i’m still beautiful. and that he wants to spend his days with me forever and always. and a ring was pulled out. and i answered “yes”.
and there is so much more and you probably want pictures but it’s late and i’m needing some sleep so i can enjoy the rest of this family vacation. but i couldn’t wait for more time or to get photos — i had to tell right away.
i’m just that happy.
vacation here we come!
IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE! well, it’s almost here. tomorrow starts my annual family vacation (and wow i had hair back then. remind me why i chopped it off?). i left my office today and knew that i wouldn’t be back to the”real world” for 9 whole days. the feeling you get when realizing that is… incredible.
and going on family vacation = happiness? you betcha. it’s really the only option when you have 25 adults and kids crammed into one 4 bedroom, 2 full baths sort of house, right? miserable doesn’t make for a pleasant experience so we’re stuck with being happy. and that’s just fine by me.
and it’s a holiday. i do love holidays. well, any sort of reason to celebrate. maybe i’ll get some sparklers. that’s a real way to say Happy 4th of July!
one of those mondays
i had several fails today. i tell myself these things happen to keep me humble… or something like that. i’m hoping for some good quality to come that would make all these sorts of moments somehow worthwhile.
if you follow me on twitter or we’re friends on facebook then you already know the first — i learned the hard way that a certain favorite place of mine doesn’t accept returns on sale items. i somehow missed the sentence in bold stating that.
bummer.
now i’m stuck with two of the same dresses in different colors.
after a rather strangely long workday i arrived home to my first letter from the IRS. ohboy. i didn’t quite understand what they were saying at first and then suddenly my heart skipped a beat. my quarterly taxes? they weren’t due until july, right? WRONG. yup, my taxes are late.
bummer again.
after all this i decided that a nice leisurely stroll was in order to enjoy this fine summer evening in an attempt to loosen my somewhat tense shoulders from all this silly nonsense, which really is not a big enough deal to cause tense shoulders, but somehow has. nobody told me that the flies are horrendous at 8pm this time of year. and nobody told me that they go insanely crazy when in contact with Redken products. i spent the entire 30 minutes swatting at flies buzzing into my head every few minutes which probably amused every single bored neighbor sitting in their living room just waiting for something to entertain.
summer evening stroll that was supposed to be relaxing? not so much.
big bummer.
the good news is that there’s not that much time before i’ll succumb to sleep. at least that doesn’t generally result in a fail.
this is good news.
i have much
i’m thankful for old fashioned ice cream socials. and families that attend the town’s event on a wet night. and hours of talk and laughter. and the belly holding our newest babe. and a new striped dress (nautical stripes are such a favorite). and all the together-ness that evening was.
i’m thankful for this chair beside me that won’t be empty next week. and how spoiled i’ve been with coworkers. and bosses. and a beautiful new office. and everything in this space that makes it ours. and the kids who sit in the gold chairs and parents who stand beside and chat. and the tears, laughter, joys, and sorrows this room knows.
i’m thankful for a short day. and tasks being finished in the office. and readying for a weekend away. and new friends and faces to see. and a girls night out. and a welcoming place.
i have much to be thankful for. after all, i am the most blessed girl in the world.
RISE
this has been on repeat in my world for the last week. it’s true that replaying one particular track for that long is precisely the perfect recipe for such love to quickly grow to dislike, but i’m not sure that will happen this time. it’s the words, the promise, the faith. all those things drive me to continue pushing play. sometimes i need to be reminded that my God is on the offensive, and is moving forward even when it feels like things are crumbling to pieces or perhaps simply at a standstill.
Not by my might, or my power, or by the strength of swords
Only through, your love, my lord
All we’ve lost, will be, restored
recent bits in my world
i’ve been a rather busy girl lately. instead of giving you a rundown on my daily activities and weekend trips, which could be rather tedious for me to write and even more so for you to read, i decided to throw some photos your way. that generally makes people more happy anyway.
there’s been a whole lot of driving lately. i get excited about drives and weekends away… as you can tell.
the weather has been glorious lately and that means more walks to the office. i can’t tell you how incredibly happy that makes me (and yeah, my shirt is tied in the front. what are ya gonna do about it?!).
walking means that i see things like this on a regular basis (is there anything more wonderful than water, blue skies, and green?!):
sometimes grumpy little men come visit me in my office. i don’t mind their kind of grumpies.
in the midst of all the driving i sometimes luck out and have sleeping beauties with me.
i bump into these kiddos on a regular basis. most of the time this aunt can’t handle the cuteness.
i made a new friend this week and ohmygoodnessgracious is this friend a doll.
and in the midst of all the hub-bub and craziness of my life right now, i sometimes get to hang with the chubby, toddling, squishy, edible goodness of claire baby. take a look at that pouting face. and will someone please tell me where she picked up the “fierce stare”? i’m sensing model in her future.
and i promise that i don’t only spend time with toddlers. really. not all the time at least.
steve mccurry photos
i want to love.
he reminds me that there’s a whole world out there waiting for Love. the love.
a whole world of stories. of lives full of joy & pain & wonder.
i don’t ever want to forget. remind yourself today.
i’m just that lucky.
oh, hi there. you want to know how my weekend went? well, no drive-in on the back of a pickup because mr. weatherman decided to not cooperate but we made do just fine without.
oh, you want to know what we did do? many fun things but the main ones?
well, we worked. yup, we did. worked for many hours one afternoon.
we spent much time outside. there isn’t a better way to spend your usher-in-the-summer-weekend than outside.
and we went on a small hike. there were three goobers that accompanied me. and i call them goobers because they didn’t know quite what to do when the camera was on them and i do believe i made much fun because of this.
the other best way to usher in summer? ice cream cone goodness! also: please note the red, white, and blue sprinkles. we are so patriotic.
where was i in all this?
i was there working, climbing around on rocks, hiking up the mountain, and enjoying my patriotic ice cream cone. and i did all those with my mouth in a wide open position which causes much jawline to disappear and the eyes to become two tiny slits in the midst of my giant head. and i just don’t care. i’m convinced of this: laughter is the best.
i got a whole weekend of that incredible goodness.
and the wonders of the outdoors.
i’m just that lucky.
currently
my feet are currently soaking in a bowl of hot, lotion-filled water. i’m not sure there’s anything better after being on the go since waking at 7am (literally since i immediately changed into running clothes at that time). come on now, don’t knock it till you try it.
it’s the best.
and i’m in pajamas and a bathrobe AND the clock still has an “8″ for the hour we’re in. this would be the second time this week that i’ve not been able to wait very long before putting the more comfortable bed attire on and start dreaming of sleep, and i can’t decide if it’s totally pathetic or not.
annnddd since i’m on a role with telling exactly what i’m doing right now – i just ate a spoonful of frosting. disgusting, i know. i’m also the one who can eat nutella straight from the jar. sometimes i just can’t help how much i love sugar. and don’t judge. who knows the secrets you have.
and what else am i doing? well, currently sitting for a bit after doing laundry and packing for a weekend away. have i ever told you how much i love summer? yeah, well, i do. and this memorial day weekend i am going to welcome summer with a series of favorite things including: hiking, ice cream cone walks, drives on winding roads surrounded by green with rivers running through, and going to the drive-in and watching a movie on the bed of a truck. okay, so the last one can’t actually be a favorite since i’ve never done that, but i just know that it’s instantly going to be put on the list. the idea of a drive-in theater was simply made for people like me.
i also have rather fluffy hair, dry hands, and a heart that’s full of overwhelmed-ness from God’s goodness to me. He’s teaching me how to start living with expectation again, and to embrace His blessings as just that – blessings! – and stop insisting that i only be given pain and frustration. how foolish that sounds even as i type it. but that’s where i am. that’s what He’s doing. that’s the current louissa.
but enough about me — what about you?
