Reboot

...I miss writing.

That realization has been at the back of my mind for several months now, but I felt it with startling clarity this weekend. ..And so, I pick up the (metaphorical) pen, and I write.

It was never really a conscious decision for me to stop writing in this place (although I cannot think of a better high note to end on than the completion of my 1st marathon!) ... But, life happened. For almost 6 months, I threw myself into every aspect of living outside of my little blog-world, and it was good. ...And now that I have gotten to the point where I (almost) physically ache to do this again? ...Well, that's good, too.

I am learning that life has this innate balance to it. ...A fact that can be crushingly frustrating before you fully grasp it. The truth is: you can never keep everything in the air all at once. We were not created to do that. Naturally, as one thing falls, another rises in its place. We are called to focus our love & energy in different places at different times ... and if we can only embrace that, well, we're allowing ourselves to diversify and live a more vibrant life.

Here is a condensed look at some of my favorite moments from the past few months:

So the year is off to a wonderful start. ... And it's just beginning. The coming months are bringing many celebrations, many challenges to help me grow, and countless beautiful 'in between' moments that make life worth living.

...I'm looking forward to sharing the journey ♥

Reset

Good morning, friends!

I hope that you all had a wonderful night's sleep and are ready to take on the day (or at least another cup of coffee, like me!) Likewise, I hope that you had a wonderful October :) For my part, I can confidently say "I DID!" October brought with it some huge milestones (including the completion of my first marathon on October 16), as well as, at the end of the month, some much needed time to relax and reflect.

I've missed this little blog, but I am excited to be back :) I am excited to share my final CA recap with you, as well as an epic marathon post. I am excited to tell you about my plans for the holiday season that make my heart sing. I am excited to share pictures and dreams and real-time weekly updates. ...I'm excited.

And I'll be back soon to start the sharing :)

Have a fantastic Tuesday!

Your Turn: What have you been up to in the past couple weeks? Can you believe that it's all ready November? Have "holiday plans" started to come together at your house, too?



PS: In the meantime... just because I haven't posted here lately doesn't mean I stopped writing all together! I had the honor to guest post for my lovely friend Hannah last Wednesday! You can read my post here, if you like!

Challenge II, D17: Surprise!

At the time this post goes live, I will most likely be snuggling Gracie, unpacking 10 bottles of wine, breathing in the familiar smells of my home and falling, exhausted into my own bed, for the first time in a week.

…As some of you may have guessed, this past week I have been busy … in California!

Quite frankly, my plan was to blog like normal (you know, a tricksy-let's discuss real life except for where I am right now- normal ;) …and then my body didn't really adjust to CA time and I was passed out by 8:30 every night ( *sigh* I wish I was kidding…) …and then our internet availability was pretty much non-existent … and then I realized, 'Hey, this (unintentional) blogging break is just a damn good excuse to unplug & spend some quality time with my husband'… and then? Life was good.

Needless to say… I have SO much to share with you. San Francisco & wine country were every bit as amazing as I dreamed they would be. It was a fantastic time … and a big part of me isn't ready to be back yet :)

This next week I am going to be blogging a mini-series entitled "Travel Diaries", to share some of the pictures & stories. I hope you enjoy reading about what we were up to during my week AFK…. and I think I am really going to enjoy sifting through my pictures (I don't even know how many I took… but I was very proud of myself!) and my memories for the 'best of the best for the blog' ;)

Because our trip started on Sunday, I will start my recap on Sunday, as well (after I recover from my 22 miler in the morning…. almost taper time…. almost taper time….)

But in the meantime, here are some teaser pictures from the trip:












Happy Saturday!

Challenge II, D14: {Ebb & Flow}

Some weeks, when Wednesday rolls around I am happily surprised, shaking my head and smiling at the beautiful & inexplicable passage of time.

...This was not the case this week.

I felt every. single. moment of my week until now. ...Which is both a good and bad thing ;)

On one hand, I've been feeling very present-- there's something in the air around here, it's fairly crackling with creativity. I've been drinking it in-- dreaming, watching, writing & storing the multitude of wonders that I cannot begin to understand now away in my heart for another time when they might be revealed to me. ...That is, without a doubt, the good.

...The bad part, of course, is that when I happen to be chained to an obligation that is not....oh, particularly creative or soul feeding, let's say... it feels like, surely, time has come to a stop.

Overall though, the flow of creative energy has won out. Life is good...and the ebb of the "in between" is a chance to refresh for the next high ♥

I hope the week has been wonderful for you all, too. (We're more than halfway to another weekend!)

Here's a little synopsis of what I've been doing, {Wrangling} style....

{Wrangling}

(A weekly round up. Each week I am going to “wrangle” my life's happenings into a post filled with pictures, lists & general tidbits about the past 7 days.)

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Once I got past that nasty headache business, my week was off to a great start. On Monday evening, I kept a promise I had made to myself earlier in the year and took the plunge and got involved with a Bible study at our church.

We are working through a 10 week study on how to hear God's voice, and I think that it is going to be a valuable experience for me for so many reasons. Of course, I am hoping that I'll walk away with a deeper faith, deeper peace, and a confidence that I can hear Him-- that I can trust him to tell me what He wants me to do with this life (...I realize I probably won't get all the answers... but it's comforting to know that I'm not floundering in the dark :) But I think this is also going to give me the chance to grow closer to some wonderful people. ...I've always loved how comfortable and "at home" I felt in this church, and I feel that this step is going to help me settle in even more.

This week we covered the basics-- Be still. Watch & listen. Journal. Believe.

Yeah.... Pretty sure I'm going to love this :)

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Tonight, I wish I had 4 more hours in my day, so I could ride out this "creative flow" and get all these words from my head out onto the paper...

I love this feeling.

It's what I live for during the moments of frustration & writer's block.

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Yesterday I got the chance to have lunch with my mother... just the two of us. We haven't gotten to do this in quite a while, and I was reminded multiple times just how much I enjoy spending time with her. We spent the hour telling stories, laughing, encouraging, and catching up on life ♥

I've said it before and I'll say it again,"I would be honored to grow up to be like my mother.

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Country girl that I am, this song makes me incredibly happy.

Adding this onto my marathon playlist pronto.

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My yesterday went a little bit differently than I had expected it to. I had planned to take 2 hours off work for a doctor's appointment, but when the appointment was cancelled a the last minute, I seized the opportunity afternoon ;)

Instead of spending time in a dark waiting room reading magazines, I took myself to Easton, our outdoor mall. I took our wedding rings in for inspection/cleaning/magic....I took myself to Trader Joe's to ogle the produce & "chocolate covered-everythings" while I waited for the rings to be finished (heh. because, frankly, produce makes me happier than jewelry :)... I enjoyed the sunshine.

It was lovely :) ...Just another gentle lesson in 'changing plans'...

Note: this is an old picture, from our honeymoon... but the rings look new like this again:) ... Jon had never had his cleaned or re-plated, and was rather impressed with the difference. ALSO worth mentioning, he told me he found he missed his wedding ring throughout the day.... for a man who never wore a watch before I met him, I figure that's not bad.)

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Source: anthropologie.com via Amy on Pinterest

Finally, while I am doing my best not to do any *real* shopping before our wine-country trip, I have definitely been window shopping... In fact, it may or may not have taken me twice as long as it should have to write this post because I was playing on Pinterest. ...I don't get half as excited about clothes for any other season, but fall is special. I love cozy sweaters, classic boots, bright scarves and metallic accents. LOVE IT. (This anthro scarf?! Goodness...)


So that's just a little bit of what's rattling around in my mind tonight. ... And with that, I am going to get myself in gear-- I'd like to write some more before I head for bed!

Your turn: How is your week going? Do you window shop like I do? Do you know of any fantastic fall fashions to tell me about (feel free to leave me a link ;)

Challenge II, D9: Weekend Wrap-Up

Hi friends, and Happy Labor Day --I hope you have had a wonderful holiday weekend!

Well ...My weekend has been something else.
A very good something else :)

I had intended to blog straight through the weekend ... but then life interfered. Each evening, by the time I had a chance to sit still and be quiet long enough to collect my thoughts, my eyelids were drooping... and I wanted to give you the best recap I could, so I postponed-- I promised you quality over quantity in this challenge, after all ;)

It is my pleasure to fill you in on the past 3 days now, with a weekend recap post!

This weekend was a different & relaxing one right from the get-go. As I intimated on Friday, I have gotten in the habit of early morning wake-up calls on Saturdays for MiT (at times, I've been out running as early as 5 am!), and so it was a special treat for me to be able to sleep in on Saturday morning. I woke naturally (around 8), brewed a pot of coffee & whipped up a batch of pumpkin pancakes.

...And then Jon & I languished in our Saturday for the next two hours. One of my favorite things in the world is leisurely weekend brunches with my husband. I love the slow pace, and feeling like we can just relax together & enjoy each others company. ♥

After breakfast, 'I got my booty in gear' and cleaned the house from top to bottom ... and then my excitement won out, and I broke into the fall decorations. Warming my home with golds & reds and the scent of cinnamon is good for my soul. I just need some mums for the porch, and I'll be all set!

Sunday morning I ran the Emerald City half marathon.
... And it was the best "race" I have ever run.

For the first time ever I ran a race for fun... and the difference was incredible.

Instead of nerves, I was chattering all day on Friday about how excited I was. Eventually, the nerves did come, but they never crippled me. The happy excitement won over every time. I went into the run with a goal to run at marathon pace (2:45) ... and I smashed that ... coming in at 2:34. The best part? I had so much to give at the end :) ...Every other half marathon that I've run, I've been absolutely done at mile 11.5. By mile 13, it's always been a battle just to keep lifting my legs ... placing one foot in front of the other. And that never happened this time.

What's even more incredible to me is that my finish time was only about 7 minutes off of my personal best. I think my smile in this picture says it all :)

(photo credit)

I came ... I ran ... I conquered.

And then? ... I napped :)

After a glorious 3 hour nap on Sunday afternoon, Jon & headed over to his sister's house for a Labor Day Party, family style ;) Great food (pulled pork, corn on the cob and blueberry cobbler), drink (blueberry mead?! YUM.) and Lucas snuggling. It was a great night. Even a little rain couldn't spoil our fun ;)

And today? It's been a perfect ending to the long weekend.

Jon took me out for breakfast (more pancakes? Yes, please!), and then I came home & slept off my ensuing "pancake coma" with Gracie, hehe.

It's been a very fall-like day here (in the 60's and gray. LOVE.), so this afternoon I lit my Macintosh apple candle curled up under a blanket with a good book. ...And Gracie foot warmer, obviously ;) Good, good stuff ♥

...I think I may be ready to tackle another work week, after all!

Have a fantastic Monday night, bloggies!

Your Turn: How was your weekend? Do you decorate for Autumn-- and if so, when & how?

My Sunday in Photos

I always suspected that my soul would feel right at home at an outdoor farmer's market.

Today, my suspicions were validated.

Not only did my soul feel right at home, my soul sang with joy.

Nowhere does my heart find more peace than in the country sunshine; reveling in the simple, unadulterated, breathtaking beauty of nature.

Happy Sunday, friends.

PS: I am about 3/4 of the way through my running post. It has actually evolved into something that I hadn't expected, and while I am very proud of it, and I think it will probably be one of my favorite pieces to date ... well, I probably don't have to tell you, the "real-est" pieces are the most exhausting (if rewarding) to write. It's coming soon, I promise ;)

I believe (part IV)

via

I believe ...

I believe in iced tea.

I believe in flip-flops.

I believe in the stunning power of a sudden afternoon thunderstorm.

I believe in the sweet, coconutty scent of sunscreen.

I believe in corn on the cob.

... and melty ice cream cones that you can't quite keep up with.

I believe in late nights, spent lying awake, talking, relishing the sweet coolness of the cotton sheets.

I believe in late night laughter.

I believe in BBQs with good friends and plenty of beer.

I believe I will never be too old to run through the sprinkler.

I believe in rolling down the windows and cranking up the classic rock.

I believe in fireworks.

I believe in summer.

Hidden Lakes Winery

Happy Friday, friends! I know I've been promising this post for a while now, and what better time to deliver than on a Friday afternoon! Can you think of a better kick off to your weekend than a glass of wine?

...Me neither ;)



Several Sundays ago, spurred on by the impending expiration date on a groupon, Jon & I ventured out to Hidden Lakes Winery for a wine tasting for two. Hidden Lakes is a lovely little winery located in Canal Winchester, which is about half an hour from our house -- perfect for a sunny afternoon drive!

To our delight, when we arrived we found a quaint little winery located (not surprisingly) on a beautiful lake. The winery was pleasantly filled with people, but not too crowded, and there was live music in the gazebo. Jon & I grabbed a table outside; soaking up the gorgeous weather from the comfort of a shaded patio.

And then we got down to business:

Cheese tasting plate (muenster, gouda & havarti; salami and crackers)

::NOM, NOM::

Our two person tasting included 10 1-ounce wine tastes each (!), and we each received a list to mark our desired tastes and comments.

Now, I'm pretty sure you know this all ready, but, as much as I love wine, I am not a wine snob. Not in the slightest. I know what I like, and I know what I don't like ... but it doesn't go much farther than that :) I had such a good time playing sommelier... taking my time and savoring each dainty sip (you sip quite daintily when you only have a 1 oz pour!), trying to pick out all the different notes and mouth feels of each individual wine.

You know I have a penchant for reds, and my favorite Hidden Lakes wines were the Pinot Noir (a very earthy, soft, distinct taste-- probably the most memorable dry red I've ever had. In totally unsophisticated terms,' this wine was everything I would want a red wine to be.') and the Road House Red ("drinkable" was the first word that came to my mind. Absolutely delicious. My notes read: "grape juice with a bite" ... Jon & I totally blew through a bottle of this goodness last Saturday evening, and I got my mother a bottle for her birthday!)

Jon has always fallen more on the sweet end of the wine spectrum, and he had a wonderful time sampling, as well. His favorite wine was called Early Frost, a light, sweet, cidery blend. We definitely bought a bottle of this, too!

All together, it was a wonderful experience -- a perfect date! It was so wonderful to sit outside and relax with my husband, sipping wine & chatting as we overlooked the lake. It made me (if this is possible!) even more excited for our trip to Sonoma in September.

Definitely 'love at first sip'....

Wrangling: {Writing my story}

NOTE: You are not seeing things. I posted this last Wednesday... but blogger deleted it, and I got discouraged... so I'm just now getting around to re-posting :) ...But it's a good one! Enjoy!

(A weekly round up. Each week I am going to “wrangle” my life's happenings into a post filled with pictures, lists & general tidbits about the past 7 days.)

What a glorious 2 weeks it has been :) Mays are always chock-full of good stuff for our family, leaving us, on June 1, exhausted but filled joy; reminiscing on the beautiful memories we were privileged to be a part of.We're in the midst of a mid-week lull, right about at the point where we are able to take a step back from the beautiful chaos and realize how tired we actually are. But even in the midst of the rush, the stress, the giving 100% and then giving 100% above & beyond... we are writing our stories. The memories that we are going to look back on in 60 years and sigh, "Oh, those were the sweet days..."

Some sweetness:

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Last Friday my heart swelled to 3x its normal size with pride. My baby sister Laurie graduated from Nursing School.



I had been excited for the 'big day' all week, but the emotions didn't really hit me until I was seated in the arena surrounded by my relatives, and 'Pomp & Circumstance' started playing. I turned to Jon with a lump in my throat & whispered, "I can't believe she's graduating all ready." It's the end of an era for sure. Now there is absolutely no pretending & no looking back. We're adults now. It's the end of an era.

But it's only the beginning of so much good that is to come.



Friday was such a blessing for me, not only to be able to witness Laurie taking a huge step in her life; but also to celebrate with my relatives. We're a pretty spread out bunch (OH, VA, NY), so we don't get to see each other nearly as much as we would like. It was a wonderful day (Heidi, we missed you bunches ... you were in our thoughts & hearts!)

Laurie & her boyfriend, Nick. Seriously, how cute are they?!

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It was also fun on Friday to return to the college campus where I spent 4.5 years of my life. I took pictures with shameless abandon, as I am no longer a student there and am allowed to "play tourist".

Here are some highlights:

Towers Hall

tour group

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About 2x a year, a couple from my work brings in and slices a whole pineapple for us to enjoy. Heaven is taking a huge bite of fresh pineapple & having the sweet juice run down your chin. YUM does not even begin to describe it.

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It's been kind of a busy & stressful week couple weeks month for me at work, and I find myself returning, time and again, to the solace of my kitchen. Seriously, chopping & peeling does wonders for the soul at the end of a long day.

Tonight's labor of love: Veggie tacos (a la Jenna, of Eat, Live, Run)!

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I am also very thankful this week for my early morning devotion time.

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This may be the happiest corner of my kitchen: it houses the coffee pot (my lifeblood, heh) and pictures of these sweet babies. I cannot resist smiling when I am standing here.

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Do you see what I see?! Yesterday the sunny temperatures exceeded what was predicted! Way to overachieve, Ohio! Weather gods, I humbly thank you for hearing my plea...

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On Sunday, we celebrated our mothers.

Mommy & Amy, circa 1992

A special moment with my mother on my wedding day.

To my mother, who gave me curly hair, a profound love of reading, a firm foundation of love and taught me the beauty of independence; I thank you. I don't know how I got so lucky to get you, but I am forever grateful that I did.

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And on Monday, we celebrated Jon's 27th birthday with Chinese take-out & video games.

Here's to another year of joy, for the man who can always make me laugh.


Jon & Laurie's friend Josh, holding bags while the 'paparazzi' clicked cameras last Friday.

Your Turn: How's your week going? Have you ever had freshly cut pineapple?