Olivia

Olivia Marie is here! She arrived at the end of August. She weighed eight pounds, four ounces and measured twenty-one inches long. Will and I are absolutely in love with her, and the pup is crazy about her too. It's been such an adventure already and we can't imagine life without her.

I'm going to take a bit of time away from blogging to simply spend time with her. I hope you all have a lovely couple weeks -- and I look forward to seeing you again soon!

Photo by me.

Family Time

This weekend, we're headed up north to visit family. I've spent a lot of time here, especially at my grandparents' home, which has always been a natural -- and very lively -- gathering spot. We often came up in early July to celebrate my grandpa's birthday. He would have been ninety this week, but he passed away a few years ago. Still, when my grandma, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, sister, and all the spouses and kids come together like this, we tend to feel like he's still with us. Here's a photo of my grandparents in their younger, carefree days. Weren't they cute?

Have a great weekend!

A Cozy Night In

Last night for Valentine's Day, my husband and I decided to stay in. I'm so glad we did! We had the simplest, coziest night. We started off by eating a few chocolates and ordered pizza. And my husband brought out the mixer and made his famous chocolate mousse. We talked and laughed and got to be with our other Valentine -- our little pup who's quite skilled at getting attention.

Photos by me. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Here's wishing you a wonderful day of love, experienced in any or all of its beautiful forms!

Photos from here, here and here. 

Happy February!

You've got to love a month devoted to love. I'm hoping to fully embrace it over the next twenty nine days. Bring on the hearts, pink, romantic music, mushy movies and gestures of affection!

Photos from here. 

Twelve

Twelve years ago today my husband and I went on our first date. We were both in college, and on this day all those years ago I had no idea he would be the one -- the one I'd choose to build a life with, the one I'd share all sorts of experiences and adventures with. I hope we can tell our grandkids one day about how we didn't know each other in the 1900s (how old will we sound?!) but that in the 2000s we've always been together.

Photo from here.

Happiness

I had such a nice birthday weekend. I went out with coworkers Thursday evening and girlfriends Friday night. But the best was spending Saturday and Sunday with my husband and the pup. We slept in, went out for a bit and then happily flopped back into bed at night. Since life has been so busy lately, this simple, sweet, low-key weekend was the absolutely perfect way to celebrate.

This photo brings a smile to my face every time I look at it. It captures that quiet moment between a couple when everything is right and nothing more is needed.

Photo from here. 

Weekend Wish

We're heading into a long holiday weekend, with plans to spend time with our families. I'm especially excited to see my nephew. He just turned six months old and I cannot believe how he's changed our lives in such a short amount of time. He's the most incredible little guy -- charming, smart, smiley, curious. He's known as the flirt of his daycare and the only time he seems to get crabby is when he's hungry and his food is taking too long. I pretty much want to spend the entire next three days cuddling and playing with him. Not a bad goal, I think.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Photo by me. 

Seeing Clearly

This past Thursday, my husband and went on a short getaway. For a travel story for my work, we visited a little glass cabin in the woods. It was amazing! We felt totally alone, surrounded only by trees, yet we were safe and comfortable inside this cozy room. We fell asleep to moonlight filtering through the trees and awoke early to thunder rolling in and rain pelting our roof.

It felt so nice to get away together, to do something different. And it also reminded me of some great questions Ola has been posing on The Apple Tea (here and here) about relationships. I truly believe stepping out of one's normal routine is important. I hope I showed my husband I was open to new experiences on this trip, and he completely impressed and surprised me. I had no idea he was so good at making a campfire or had so many outdoorsy skills! I got to see him in a new way and a bit more completely than I probably tend to look at him when we're at home in our typical day-to-day. In all, it was a wonderful trip, and I'll probably keep daydreaming about our time in a glass cabin in the woods.

Photos by me. 

Wedding Weekends

I'm truly looking forward to this weekend and the next, as they bring the weddings of two of my girlfriends. I love weddings. Seeing how happy a couple looks and witnessing them vow to love and commit for the rest of their lives. Checking out the gorgeous dress the bride is wearing. How emotional it is when the bride and groom see each other for the first time, with music swelling around them. The toasts, speeches and traditions. Champagne and dancing at the reception. Being a part of a day built on happiness and hope. Seeing all the ways a couple makes the day a reflection of their personalities and their own love story. I can't wait for my friends' big days!

I also like how photographer Max Wanger captures the uniqueness of couples in his work:

Photos from here.

Puppy Love

As I look back on this week, I'm particularly grateful for my little pup. I swear dogs can tell when their humans are sick or stressed or in need somehow, and I think mine can sense I'm pregnant. She's been extra cuddly lately and curls up by my stomach at night. Even though she's only eight pounds, she's protecting me pretty nicely.

Happy weekend!

An Announcement

My husband and I just found out that I'm pregnant! I still can't quite wrap my mind around this. My emotions keep cycling through feeling happy, then calm, then nervous, then overwhelmed and then happy again. I hope this is normal. But no matter how I'm feeling at any particular moment, I want to be mindful and appreciative through this experience. I'm surely going to turn to my family and friends for advice and support along the way. Actually, I already have. And everyone's been so kind and supportive and excited -- I feel like I'm surrounded with love!

Photo from here.  

Stitched Together

Yesterday was my grandma's eightieth birthday. While I can't comprehend that number, I do know I'm so blessed to have this incredible woman in my life. She and my grandpa were quite a pair. While he was outgoing and jovial, she has always been loving in more quiet ways. She's ultra-organized, with Tupperware stacked and individually labelled in the refrigerator, and she's part of a lineage of women in my family who are very particular about things (when my husband first met my grandma, I think he understood me a little more). She's always doing kind things for others, whether it's baking seventeen different kinds of cookies so everyone has their favorite when they visit, or knitting blankets, baby sweaters, hats and other items that will keep people feeling warm and cared for. Grandma is constantly knitting and it's a good symbol for what she does. She keeps our family stitched together.

Photo from here.

An Arrival

This morning my sister gave birth to her first baby, the adorable, perfect, don't-know-how-we-ever-lived-without-him Evan. My heart is so full of love for him and happiness for my sister and her husband. What a truly wonderful day.

Photo by me.

A Gesture

I've been thinking a lot lately about how people show their love for one another. An ongoing issue between my husband and me is that we misinterpret -- or miss altogether -- each other's signals. He think he's being expressive and I think he's being cold. I believe I'm giving him space and he wonders if I'm mad about something. It's hard!

But one gesture he offers that I actually pick up on is when he makes smoothies. He takes bananas, yogurt and frozen fruit and turns them into delicious concoctions that are the best things I eat. I realize they're sort of a pain to make, so when he surprises me with one in the morning, I know it means something. And I take it as "I love you."

The February issue of Real Simple has some creative smoothie ideas. Check 'em out here.

Photos from here, here, here and here.

Love

Love can be grand gestures -- roses and gifts and declarations of devotion. But sometimes the most beautiful signs of love are small, regular moments made special because you're together. The latter was the type of weekend I got to spend with my husband and our dog. A particularly nice point was yesterday when the sun was shining, the snow was melting and we went for a walk. It was perfect.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Photos by me.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am grateful for my emotions. My boundless, impossible to control emotions that sometimes get me into trouble but that allow me to feel things so intensely and acutely. I'm glad that when I hear something sad that I feel it to the core of me, and I'm even more grateful that when I see something happy or think about someone I care about, my joy and love make me feel like I'm about to burst.

Photo from here.

Date-iversary

Eleven years ago tonight, I went on the first date with my husband. I met him over winter break my freshman year of college and was eager to get to know him better. On our first few dates, I learned he was so much fun, easy to talk to, insanely cute and incredibly funny ... and I'm happy to say he's all these things -- and much more -- today. He's my full love and my true partner on this adventure of life, and I'm so grateful to be celebrating our date-iversary tonight.

Photo by me (taken this fall on our trip to London).

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a holiday filled with love, happiness, peace and everything your heart desires!

Photo from here.

His Day

Today is my husband's birthday. When I met him nearly eleven years ago, I was was struck with his assuredness, this quiet strength and confidence he has in knowing who he is and what he stands for. Getting to be with him all these years has been a privilege, and seeing him grow into the man he's meant to be a joy. I love him with all my heart.

Photo from here.