The Story of Us

The story of us began on a park bench overlooking the Mississippi River. It was sealed with a kiss on the forehead later that same afternoon. A tender moment that is locked in my memory forever.

When I met my Sweet Hubby I thought true love was a fairy tale. He shows me every day how very real it is.

It's small moments, day after day of kindness and affection. It's not saying things you will later regret and saying the things you will regret not saying. It's wanting nothing more than to just be together where ever that may be and giving each other space to be who we really are.

It's being able to talk about anything and being able to not talk at all. It's laughing until we cry and crying until we laugh. It's being the best parents we can be but putting our marriage first. It's having each others back no matter what and feeling safe in the knowledge that this is forever.

It's not perfect but it's as close as I could imagine. It's the happy ending I didn't dare dream of.

**All photos by the amazingly talented Teresa of Meadowbrook Farm

Must See

Happy Day! Today is my last day before everyone is back at their regular schedules. I have 2 down and 1 to go. Today is what we in this house call a Momma/Emma day and she has big plans for me so I thought I'd post really fast before she wakes up.

This week I thought I'd focus on subjects that might be fresh on your mind for the new year. If any of you have vowed to spend more time and effort on your marriage, I highly recommend going to see It's Complicated on your date night. We saw it last night and we both loved it. The set design is perfection, so cozy, relaxed and beautiful. I wanted to memorize every bit of it. You can go to Traditional Home to see more. The story was great. I laughed until I cried and I'll admit I might have snorted a few times. Plus the Alec Baldwin character totally reminded me of my brother-in-law. Love you Matt! 

 

Also, thanks for all of the sweet comments and emails about Choosing Joy. As one sweet friend pointed out, it can be very difficult to remember these new goals and choices on a daily basis in our busy lives, so I've decided to put it in my sidebar as a reminder to myself each time I open my blog. Feel free to grab the button from my blog if you wish, or make one for yourself as your own personal reminder. 

Apparently I was too slow in getting this post done as the little one just came downstairs and handed me this:

 Seriously, how could I say no to that?

Choosing Joy

I've spent too much time letting life happen to me or letting it pass me by. This year I want to be a part of every moment. As much as that is possible. I think this Christmas holiday, being plugged into my family has been a big part of that, the start of something bigger.

There are 3 things I'm choosing this year, because life really is a choice and how you live it is the most important choice of all.

Be Joyful- I am by nature an optimistic person, but I've felt that slipping away from me this past year. I want to focus on the positive. I want to choose joy because when I do, it causes a ripple effect in my life. The power of smiling can't be overstated.

Simplify- More and more I feel like I'm running around in circles because I'm overwhelmed. I get sensory overload and can't seem to accomplish anything because my mind is too busy. I want to quiet myself. I want to cut out the unimportant stuff so that I can focus on what really matters. So that I can...

Live Deliberately- I want to truly live my life, not  have my life happen to me. I want to absorb the experiences and live in the moment. I want to make choices and accomplish things. I want to enjoy the gifts of small moments, the sweet words and memories that deserve to be noticed and remembered. I want to make deliberate choices and not waste my days mindlessly. Except occasionally.

I hope you have a joyful, simple, deliberate day or whatever you choose for yourself.