month of thankfulness

the weekend and some gardens.

/ lindsay / 1 Comment

So, uh, it appears as though trying to write a blog each day in November has been a bit more difficult than I’d hoped it would be. Not because I don’t have things for which I am grateful, but because when I stumble across some free time I’d much rather do any and all things instead of sitting down at my computer. Things like go for a walk, read a book, catch up on schoolwork episodes of How I Met Your Mother, New Girl and The Mindy Project.

So forgive me as I shove four (??!?!?!) days’ worth of gratitudes into one blog post.

It was a glorious weekend which started with a Friday that Dan and I accidentally got to spend together for a bit. Fridays are Dan’s day off and I work onsite, so he gets to spend the day with Dax while I get work done and roam the city freely. However, I got done with work around lunch time which gave Dan and me a few hours to spend together before I went out for a GIRLS NIGHT!

Yeah! That happened!

Then, on Saturday, we slept in (!!!) till 9:30 (!!! again) and then lounged around watching Martha Bakes and Martha’s Cooking School on PBS until we were so desperate for delicious food that we ran out and splurged on our favorite barbecue place in town. (Oh yes, we’ve only lived here since May but our duty as good, proper, southern people was to find good barbecue ASAP.)

Sunday was a long day for all of us, which is not unheard of for those of us who work in ministry, but even still, we all stayed relatively uncranky and got to bed at a decent hour. I even got to enjoy a glass of wine while Dan and I watched an episode of Star Trek for our seminary class! (Yeah don’t ask.)

So all in all, it was a great weekend, each day teeming with gratitudes.

And then there was today. Today a dear friend of mine and her two kids took Dax and I to the Botanical Gardens. This was our second time going together but the last time we went Dax was still a stroller-bound infant. This time we started out in the stroller, but we didn’t end there. Once I finally got up the nerve, I set him free. And there he went, the wobbly little toddler, doing all but dragging me all over the place. He even face-planted on the sidewalk once, only to barely whimper for a few seconds before taking off again.

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And my chest heaved with the heartache of a proud mother watching her tiny baby step in the background of history to make way for a child. It was so very bittersweet.

At the moment he is, quite literally, walking all over the house pointing at things and babbling about them, some incomprehensible language only he understands and I wish to, and I can’t help but smile.

And I am grateful.

 

 

alone time.

/ lindsay / 4 Comments

I love my baby. So very much. Like, so much it actually physically hurts sometimes. But every now and again I crave some time alone, both by myself and just in the company of my husband.

Today, I am grateful for two days in a row of getting just that!

Yesterday, I had to work later than the childcare at church is provided, so Dan offered to take Dax and work from home so I could stay onsite. When I got home hours later, Dax was still napping and Dan was done working, and so we got to enjoy two whole hours of “just us” time. (I had to wake Dax up for dinner at 6:30!)

And this morning, after Dan left for work  around 7:30, Dax was still asleep. So I got up and took advantage of that by making myself some breakfast (a mother??!?!?! eating alone??!?!?!) and pulling out my journal.

When Dax started making noise in his crib, I looked at the clock: it was 8:30! I’d just gotten a whole hour to myself to journal and enjoy some “me” time. For most moms, that’s unheard of! And when it was all said and done I was in such a cheerier mood than I usually am when Dax wakes up in the morning.

And I am so thankful.

Like I said, don’t get me wrong, I am so completely enamored with my little boy. But having some quiet time to myself gives me the recharge I need to be the best mommy for him.

And now, because the sun is shining and the breeze is blowing and it’s not eight hundred degrees outside, we’re going to go to the park. What a great day already and it’s only 10!

What are you grateful for today?

new and sleep.

/ lindsay / 3 Comments

So, hey, already skipped a day. Off to a stellar start, friends!

SUNDAY:

I’m having a hard time choosing what one thing to be grateful for. The entire day from start to finish was perfect. It started out at church, where I got to play a piano that used to belong to Elton John and then see my dear friends’ children get baptized. After that, we all hung out at said friends’ house to eat and celebrate and LET ME TELL YOU, Naples brought out the big guns weather-wise. It was only (!!!) 80 degrees, with a slight breeze, and no clouds in the sky. We sprawled out on blankets in the backyard under trees and sipped wine as we watched all the kids bound about on the springy grass, and all the while my smart phone lay dormant.

And don’t even get me started on the cookies.

But I’ll simplify it to this: today I am grateful for new. I am thankful for new weather patterns, new friends, and that all of this “new” is slowly backing up to make way for “normal”. And I like that.

MONDAY:

Today I’m grateful for Trader Joe’s. (Okay, who isn’t?)

But I’m also grateful for a sweet baby who LOVES to sleep. On top of sleeping all night, my little one is currently on hour three of his afternoon nap. (Called so because he naps the entire afternoon.) I think I’ll join in on the fun.

month of thankfulness 2013.

/ lindsay / 1 Comment

There is no doubt that my family has been through some ish the past few months. From moving away from our friends and family to our baby’s seizure to this miscarriage, we’ve been bracing ourselves for the next wave to hit.

But, even still, there are new mercies each day. And it would do my spirit well to acknowledge these gifts of grace publicly so that I’m held accountable by the internet to not be a total buzz kill all the time. Because no one likes that, right?

So each day during the month of November, I’m going to blog about at least one thing I’m grateful for. Let’s be real — as a work-from-home mom it’s always  challenge to find time to blog at least once a WEEK let alone once a DAY, so some of my posts will be kinda short and sweet. But it’s really important to make a point to be grateful each day for one month to turn my stinkin’ thinkin’ back into the rainbows and unicorns I’m used to.

Today’s is easy; last night, I got a package in the mail from my friends in Tallahassee. Check out the contents of this bad boy:

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In case you can’t really see in the picture, here are some highlights:

  • Guatemalan coffee beans!
  • Nail polish.
  • Dr. Pepper flavored Lip Smackers.
  • A homemade loaf of bread. (Which is delicious as is but when slathered in butter is ZOMG-worthy.)
  • Mustache duct tape.
  • A naked lady light switch cover.
  • A 1Direction notebook.
  • Tons of origami cranes made out of book pages.

I seriously have the best friends. Such an awesome blessing to come across. Thanks guys!