When Two of Your Favorite People Meet.

When Two of Your Favorite People Meet.

This happened a few weeks ago. Technically there are three of my favorite people in this picture, but Stevie and my dear Aunt Shirley know each other well. But it was the greatest privilege for me to witness my son meeting the snazzy, savvy, sweetheart that is my Aunt. Somehow my heart managed to melt a bit more. I thought it had done all the melting it could possibly do.

My Aunt Shirley has been a life-long inspiration. Not only is she overly-accomplished with an impressively long resume and all the accolades of the world, she is a woman of endless compassion and unparalleled conviction. She's basically Mother Theresa, serving all her extra time for others, and encouraging her students to join her many efforts. If I could emulate her character a tiny little bit at the end of my life, I would gladly call myself blessed and be done. And her joy! I don't know anyone who is more positive! Well, she and my mother-in-law can duke it out, because they are the two most positive people I know. FYI It's a really beautiful thing to be surrounded by practically blind positivity, by the way. Makes you feel like the world is your oyster. And why wouldn't I want my darling boy to be surrounded and influenced to believe that (because it's true!) But her kind of positivity isn't blind. It's fierce, statuesque, absolute in it's hope for what is the best kind of good. I am so lucky to have this woman as my guidepost, looking out for me, correcting me, smiling her big gorgeous, mischievous smile at me. Oh that Italian broad.

I hope your holiday weekend is filled with family time that makes you feel uplifted, full of hope, and encouraged beyond measure. Because that is a treasure not to be diminished. And if you don't have family like that? Well, then BE the family that does that. We have such a few precious days on this Earth. If you have the opportunity to be a person like Aunt Shirley to a little person like Everett, DO IT. The impact will be a pulsating, rippling, life-changing kind, and really, what else matters? Not career. Not money. But a little person being shaken by absolute love, acceptance and sheer hope for the future? Well, you could say that's kind of what this holiday weekend is all about.

Happy Easter, friends.

A Blustery Getaway at Serenbe. Part 2.

A Blustery Getaway at Serenbe. Part 2.

I just had too many great photos from this fun little getaway. See part 1 HERE.

For me, the beginning of the year is such a cleansing season. Everything is sort of bare, torn away, and a little bit unbeautiful. Almost a little too raw, a bit uncomfortably vulnerable. And yet I really love this wintery season. Of course, it's a lot easier to love it in Georgia than in Boston or New York :) Seeing the dirty sleazy snow turn a million shades of sick can really throw your stomach off for a day. But here, the trees are stripped to their skivvies and tenderly hold up their branches in a "raising the white flag" kind of way. Like, here we are, world. Ready to start fresh. Start over. Dream again.

Am I crazy? That's just what February is to me.

I had to include a few more Serenbe photos from last week. I couldn't possibly choose my favorites so I just pretty much chose them all. Seeing my little boy interact with my strapping husband is making me feel alive and happy in a new way. Maybe it's the whole February thing. Maybe it's a new mom thing. Maybe it's a clear-headed thing. Or a "I've finally slept, booya!" thing. But I'm having a small moment in the sun these past few weeks. Life finally doesn't feel so gosh-darn hard. I don't feel so bare bones tired. Or ragged. This little getaway to Serenbe couldn't have come at a better time. It was cold, but so what? I've had colder winters.

// I love setting up Everett's little bed when we travel. I don't know why. //

// I like to tease him that he's my muse. He. HATES. It. //

// 7.5 years. I'm a lucky lady. //

Happy February to you all!

The 2nd Day: Christmas Eve & All its Traditions.

Christmas Eve & All its Traditions.

I love Christmas Eve especially. Everything grows quiet and simultaneously loud, too. People gather to their homes, the cold roads begin to empty, twilight approaches and homes are filled with the warmth of family love. And probably some family drama too, let's be honest. But mostly family love. And laughter. And delicious FOOD. And everyone gets the chance to enjoy each other (and roll their eyes a little bit) and laugh about old times, quotes favorite family movie lines, tell old stories that have most likely been shared before. It's a wondrous, familiar, delicious time. And yet it's always new and exciting, because each year brings it's particularly fresh changes. Like for us. This year we have a baby for Christmas.

What are your family traditions? I wanted to share a bit about ours because I always enjoy hearing about what other people do with this particularly special holiday time. We cozy up, snack on delicious appetizers (tonight mom has baked brie and crudites on hand, yum), munch while we make the actual meal (ribs!) and then we will relax around the fire and have family time. We might play a game. We might break out the guitars and have a jam session. We might all pile up on the couches in the family room and watch an old movie (or argue for 30 minutes over who wants to watch The Hobbit, who wants to watch The Holiday, and who wants to watch BOTH). We will most definitely be wrapping those last-moment gifts. In years past, we would always go Christmas caroling in our community, but with a new baby this year, we want to stay home and keep him warm. And do our best to adhere to a reasonable bedtime (I say it like its only for him, but its for me too :)

A word on Christmas sleep: I used to try my hardest to stay up reeeeeeally late on Christmas eve in order to wake up a bit later on Christmas morning. I was one of those kids who would leap out of bed at 4:30am, wake everyone up to OPEN PRESENTS OPEN PRESENTS OPEN PRESENTS, and end up ticking everyone off. So I had to learn the hard lesson of not to bothering mom and dad before 7am. And lets be honest, my sisters too. They were such teenagers, even before their time. Just wanted to keep snoozing. However, this year, I will fight the urge to not be a Scroogy-sleeper myself. I'm just coveting all the Zzz's I can get, especially with Stevie taking some time off for the holiday!

Tomorrow will begin with hot cinnamon buns, gathering in the living room with a fire blazing, and my dad's bible taking center stage. We will sip my parent's preferred coffee (this year they're on an Illy kick), while we listen to my dad re-read the story of Jesus' miraculous birth and His gift to the world. We will discuss it. What it must have felt like to be Mary, probably 16-ish and pregnant, carrying that baby around with no clue on how to explain what was happening to her. What it must have been like to be Joseph, whom the bible calls a "righteous man", marrying her in light of the scandal of her condition. What it must have been like for the Magi, searching the skies every night, following a star throughout the land, in hopes of meeting the most treasured baby ever born. THE STORY IS BONKERS. We will also act out the manger scene with our animal noises. And then my dad will call us all blasphemers and close the book. Look people, I gave birth this year. If there had been some sheep and cows hanging around my hospital room, I'm pretty sure I would have started throwing some punches (and probably wheezing a bit, too.) Whew. So there's that part of the morning.

Then we will DO PRESENTS. And this year - take turns holding Everett while we do so! After presents we will enjoy my parents' infamous eggs benedict. It's the one time a year they cook something together in a planned fashion, and it is so scrumptious, we always beg them to make it more often. But its our special Christmas breakfast. And my little sister will lick the hollandaise sauce out of the bowl. She will. And she will be horrified that I just shared that on the Internet. But she weighs like 10 ounces so who even cares.

Then Stevie and I will pack our things and prepare for round 2: heading to his parent's house! To do "Christmas Eve" and "Christmas Morning" all over again! We are so super duper blessed. Both our families love to celebrate so well, and we gladly soak up the double Christmas fun. His family celebrates so similarly to mine, but there are a few fun twists. They like to make fresh-squeezed orange juice, all run up the stairs together on "your mark, get set, GO!" to pounce on the presents, and then begin opening one by one. It's just hilarious and chaotic and comfortable and so fun. We will still be celebrating with family and extended family and relatives until Saturday, when things will finally wane into a sleepy post-Christmas-adrenaline stupor. Oh the stupor. I'm hoping Everett really allows us to nap then. It's some of the most wonderful napping done all year long.

So that's what's happening in our neck of the woods! What are some of your Christmas traditions? Any of this sound similar to how you and your loved ones celebrate?

Enjoy your Christmas Eve immensely. I hope you get to gather the ones you love tightly in your arms and squeeze them and kiss them frantically. Because if there were ever such a time to do so, that time is tonight! XOX.

Treating Yourself. To A Self-Date.

Treating Yourself. To A Self-Date.

It's Valentines week, in case you're behind the curve on your candy purchases. Valentines Day seems to evoke a wide variety of emotions, depending on where you're at in life. Perhaps you're a hopeless romantic and you adore the notion of dreamy flowers and treats. Or you might be rocking independence this season and the idea of V-Day brings up mixture of annoyance and pity for those who dote on it's sentiment. Perhaps you're somewhere in the middle, one of those "it's not a real holiday, so why celebrate?" types. I have found myself have oscillating between these range of emotions. But I feel like there is one element people tend to neglect when it comes to this day: celebrating themselves. You don't have to wait for someone else to make you feel special or important. Take some time for you!

I love myself. I'm a fun girl. And I know that I'm worth a little pampering every now and then. When the winter is making me sad and I'm missing my family and friends (and growing larger by the day), I know it's time to enact a Self-Date. What is the Self-Date? You're gonna want to know. You're gonna want to do this, too.

Ways to celebrate YOU.

1. You like flowers.

So treat yourself. Those tulips would look nice on you.

2. You like pretty nails.

So get a manicure. And pick a FUN color. I'm sporting a shade of purple that a 5th grader would wear. Because I can.

3. You like hot beverages (especially in this weather.)

Splurge on that ridiculously overpriced herbal tea with the jasmine. YOU DESERVE IT. Even better, for all you non-pregnants, order a nice glass of vino. Mmm I miss my old friend, red wine.

4. You like to read.

Pick a totally indulgent read and immerse yourself in the story. Snuggle up on your couch (with the above-mentioned bevvy nearby). Maybe light a yummy candle. Perhaps throw on some John Legend, crooning in the background (didn't he just kill it at the Grammys?) Perfection.

Other add-ons? Take yourself to see a movie (and don't forget the Sour Patch!), treat yourself to some fun art supplies, invest in a cooking class or those personal training sessions you've wanted. The point of all this? To remind yourself that you are worth it. It's not just about loving yourself. It's about treating yourself better than you even think you deserve. Because if you don't, how can you expect others to?

Would you add something else to this list? Who's joining with me on the Self-Date? 'Tis the season!

Here We Go!

Photo Credit: Nancy Hostetler

Feeling Grateful. And Hungry.

Oh life. Needless to say, I've been feeling a lot over the past several months. Nausea, exhaustion, cravings, yes. Crazy dreams and outbursts of sweat, sure. A ravenous appetite for bacon, it's true. But we will get to all of that. Even more than all of those things, I've been equally enamored with reflection and planning ahead for the future. It's amazing how a teeny, tiny second line on a test can cause you to evaluate everything - the home you live in, the career choices you've made, the relationships in which you invest. It's an incredible rush and also a daunting responsibility. I'm supposed to be ready to raise another human, but WOW I feel pretty inadequate to do so. I feel like I don't know enough bible verses. Or how to soothe a crying anything.

I'm sure everyone feels this way at first. I hope.

I just want to say thank you. I'm so grateful to everyone for the well-wishes and congrats on our little one, coming in August! Stevie and I are super excited and feeling really blessed. I'm currently at 13 weeks and still feeling rather puny, but I'm holding onto hope (shout out, E!) that the next several weeks will bring all the relief the second trimester promises. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement - it really means a lot!

Since this is the biggest change of our lives, I want to share about this journey here on the blog. Have no fear, all of you who loathe "mommy bloggers"! I don't intend to focus soley on pregnancy/baby-related topics. I still cook. Audition. Write. I still explore my city (well, let's be honest... I've been a couch potato for 3 months. I have high hopes to return to normal life again and explore!) Stevie and I still have aspirations to travel and goof off. Our obsession with visiting our families a million times a year will only be compounded by the fact that now, we have another reason to! All good things.

Thank you again for sharing in our joy. We are feeling the love :-)