A Pumpkin Baby Shower.

Babies bring family and friends together, no matter how far-flung our distant lives and dreams may have scattered us. It's one of my favorite discoveries about pregnancy, babies and motherhood. The camaraderie is so rich, so rooted in vulnerability and free of competition. My cousin Amber is expecting her first baby in early 2017, and all the women in my family were over the moon about celebrating her little man to-be. We had so much fun, throwing her a harvest-themed baby shower at my mom's house a few weekends ago.

My parent's house is on the market these days. Soon I know it will sell and that chapter of their lives will be over. It's extremely bittersweet, being that they are such phenomenal hosts and it really is part of their calling and ministry; the way they love and host people so well. They have always been the house that has all the parties - everything from baby showers and wedding showers to actual weddings and birthday parties and everything in between. This shower felt like a tender ode to their legacy, one final hurrah before moving boxes litter the hallways and the keys get handed over to a new owner.

Celebrating this particular baby-to-be with all the women in my family - sisters, mom, cousins and aunts galore - was truly one of the sweetest memories in my book. These are the women who have fortified me, helped shape my sense of humor and sense of self, and given me a gentle push when I needed it and given me grace when I couldn't possibly accept it. And I know that tradition will live on, no matter whose house we party at. So excited for this little boy to become my own baby-to-be's little buddy. There are lots of trucks and trains in our future!

Sunday Gratitude (for naps)

// 1. My Sound Career has arrived. As has the fear. // 2. This pigeon escort me to the park. // 3. Bowl of morning joy. // 4. Enjoyed Korean treats at a Parisian bakery. Yes, you read that right. // 5. Family wedding in Chicago. // 6. Reverent, whisical church windows.

Happy Sunday People.

I honestly didn't realize it was Sunday until about an hour ago. This week has been BUSY and this weekend we took a whirlwind 20-hour trip to Chicago for a family wedding (congrats, Sean & Nicki!) Hence the disorientation on the day/time. Oh hence. This was a grand day for a nap.

Gratitude.

It was a joy to see some extended family this weekend. I've been living in NYC for a month now (can you believe it?!) and I've largely spent my time alone. Not in a creepy way, but I'm just new in town. I've been attempting to get a lot of things off the ground, work-wise, which often feels like a lonely kind of hustle. I'm thrilled with it, but it's also a strange experience, being in this city brimming with bodies and spending a lot of the day not speaking to anyone. Seeing family this weekend kind of filled in the gaps a bit. Stevie's cousins are so funny and silly and just COMFORTABLE and I love spending time with them. You know when you can just be yourself with some people? Well, it's hard to be anything else with these folks. Hence the adult-sized Christmas onesies, any of you remember?

Now I'm off to babble monologues to myself. Wish me luck in my attempts to memorize. I've got some casting directors to wow (?) this week!

Spencers at Sea

Beach Time.

I am a smidge obsessed with my family. I'm just going to start by saying that.

We went on vacation this past week to the beach. Stevie and I haven't been to the beach with my entire family in years, and it really hit me when we were all together again. Wow, I have missed this. It's hard to put the beats of my heart into words, but these pictures really capture the essence of this much-needed trip. Babies. Cousins. Corona. Bocce Ball. Seafood. Sand in absolutely everything. Big hats. Small itinerary. Coffee clutch. And a million new miracles to celebrate. Oh, we found the time to celebrate.

I can't find enough words to encompass how much my hurried little heart needed this pause. The sea has a way of getting underneath my skin and smoothing out the folds of my unnecessarily-panting mind. Clarity always surfaces. God always speaks. And my family always, always makes me laugh big. Being at the beach with these astounding individuals is like taking a deep breath, holding it in and treasuring the moment, and then exhaling like a new woman. I am so thankful for them. The tan is a just an added bonus.

// Victory lap. For laying out all day. //

// Are your teeth rotting yet? That's how sweet these folks are. //

// Sisterhood looks like. We just need some traveling pants. //

// Mom and Cousin Amber (who might as well be a sis) // Sun setting like a champ //

// I know. Dorky. All-American. Linen. I don't even care. //

// Kites really don't get enough credit for being whimsically awesome. //

// These people again. I can't get enough. //

// Cousins. Their babes. Gobble gobble gobble. And again I want more. //

// Dad volleyballing like a champ. //

// The family models. // Rachel Lynn and her main squeeze Charlie. //

// Snorkeling (obviously) // Posing (what's new?) //

// Sunset and family love, with a side of Bocce //

// Morning running club (Los cuatro corredores!) // My mother looking like a French bike lady (we've seen too many Hepburn movies) // Views and Seafood //

This is a mere snapshot. My hurried heart finally took a breather and for that I am so glad. With the upcoming transition of this week, I feel like my head is on straight and my eyes are restfully focused forward. I hope you get the chance to vacation with your favorite people this summer. Take the moments you get with them and cherish it. Because somehow we are all growing up SO stinkin' fast.

Love love love.

Cousins and Christmas

We Like to Party.

A few days ago was the annual Harper Family Cousins' Night. My husband's side of the family celebrates this special bond of cousin-hood in a once-per-year celebration of silliness and wonder. Brian and Kelley, the fearful party ringleaders, truly outdid themselves this year by throwing a shin-dig that no one could ever forget. I believe the word EPIC was thrown around quite a bit on this glorious night.

Why is this event so wonderful? Well for starters, in past years, there has been a costume contest. I have dressed up as Cindy Lou-hou (I made Stevie go as The Grinch. Two words: Green beard!) and we once dressed as "Two Turtle Doves" where I decked out as a sparkly white dove and Stevie dressed as a Ninja Turtle. There are always prizes, ranging from inappropriate gag gifts to gift cards to gallons of candy. And it wouldn't be cousins night without family-themed games, which strikes a special chord in the Harper cousins, since everyone is insanely type-A and competitive. It's one of my favorite events of the entire year, because I truly love these cousins as my own and it's a ridiculously fun time together, sans babies and parents. How often does that ever happen? In our case, one a year.

CN 2012.

This year's party details were kept under lock and key in order to maintain an element of surprise. We were instructed to arrive ON TIME and in pajamas, so we assumed we would be doing breakfast for dinner this year. Oh, that was only the beginning. This year's party contained the following:

A scavenger hunt through Atlanta in two teams of limousines, where we hunted for Christmas-themed items (example: Find a glass of eggnog! An African American Santa! A menorah!) and then we had to photograph these items on one official team iPhone (mine was chosen, iPhone 5 duh.) We had 2 hours to arrive back to the house on time or else a point was deducted for each minute we were late. We had coolers for each limo containing various appetizers and drinks and we had limo drivers that were up for this spastic holiday task. IT WAS BOSS.

5 Golden Rings//

We found a pack of gold bracelets.

4 Calling Birds//

We found four different bird ornaments. Call me maybe.

Mistletoe//

DON'T FREAK OUT! We are not those kinds of cousins! Everyone making out in this photo is NOT related! Those snogging one another are either married or dating. And Garrett has his bear.

Open Fire//

We busted in on a private party at Park Tavern because, well, it was the only open fire we knew of in the area. And then we were immediately ushered out.

Your Dinner, My Liege.

When we got back to the house, there were two private chefs preparing us a fanciful breakfast for dinner. I am not kidding. We cousins compared our scavenged findings and MY team was declared the winner. Woop woop! I think the Harper competitiveness might be rubbing off on me. Beware.

An Affair to Remember.

I had a complete blast and wish the night could go on and on. It was wonderful to catch up with family that we rarely see and just have a dang good time. I laughed A LOT. After all, isn't that what the holidays should be all about? Major shout out to Brian and Kelley and all the Harper cousins. Thank you!