An October Night

I don't typically let people peek into this place, but the thought occurred to me some weeks ago that perhaps it needs to be shared.

I'm sharing this first and foremost for those of you who have experienced loss. A loss of any kind--that you might read these words, see yourself in them and find some comfort in knowing we are mourning together. That though the world seems dark and emotions flood over you, you are not alone.

But more importantly, I'm sharing this for us all. For us to remember those who we hold dear and not to take our loved ones for granted in our rushed lives.

Disney Week

Ever since we got back from our honeymoon in Disney we've wanted to go back. But oftentimes that long-anticipated return to Disney World isn't in the budget. So, taking our favorite parts about the trip and all the fun and magic about Disney, we decided to celebrate 'Disney Week' at home for under $250.

Creative Lent

Lent is a 40+ day time of reflection, repentance, and really restoring your relationship with God in the weeks leading up to Easter.

Dream Board

I give props to Pinterest for reigniting the idea of dream boards. There is something innately beautiful about having one's dreams displayed through pictures--it's almost the first step into breathing life into them. Well, goodness knows I'm a huge fan of Pinterest, but sometimes you just need something a little more tangible. So, I made myself an old fashion dream board:

Letting it Go & Bringing it Back

There comes some times in life when you just have to let stuff go. Regrets, grudges, insecurities, or just plain bad feelings. Sure, it's easy to say to toss those out. But sometimes you have to let the "good" things drop too.

You let them good for the greater good. Or maybe for the good of your sanity. Only, the thing with those is that you know you'll bring them back sooner or later.

First Year of Marriage

Whoever said the first year of marriage is the most difficult clearly never dated Jk Stewart. Because 8 years of just plain hard work and prayer has made this 9th year together the most beautiful of all.

No One Has Fought Harder

It's the sort of thing you always dream about: someone who fights for you--for your love.

Well it's more than that. Because we live in a world where dreams are often squashed and traded for something less-than, where we try to make it on our own and slap a smile on our face so no one digs any deeper, where sometimes it very hard to keep from hardening and even harder to keep ahold of your heart. So you need someone to fight for more than your love, you need someone to fight for your heart so that when the time comes, you actually have love to give.

And no one has fought harder for my heart than him.

Of Loveliness and Lockets

There is something innately feminine about a locket. Ornately carved to delicately open revealing something truly special inside. It reminds me a bit like a rose ready to bloom or a secret garden locked away. It's mysterious and treasured and absolutely lovely.

In a World With Octobers

"I'm so glad we live in a world where there are Octobers." --L.M. Montgomery in Anne of Green Gables. I saw this quote this morning, and immediately stopped. Because, for the first time in a long time, I agree with it.

Lost & Found

I got this email back in the days when aim was the preferred method of communication and my daily endeavors consisted of finishing algebra homework, updating my buddy profile, and staying away from my home. I read the Bible because I wanted to be the best person I could be. It was more of a perfectionist, competition, though rather than an effort to help others. In retrospect, it had absolutely nothing to do with God, and everything to do with me.

Fall Fire

Now that it's September I feel like I ought to accept the fact that fall is imminent. It isn't something I like doing. Normally I approach the season like a Chicagoan approaches chilly winter wind gusts, I pull my coat tighter around me, my hat down, and mutter about the miserable weather under my breath. But, this year I'm trying ardently to accept autumn.

Dream Keeper

When you're little, you have all sorts of grandiose dreams. Then, somewhere along the way, you shed them like too-small layers of clothes and "grow-up." But I don't think you're really growing up. I think it's more like growing down. You're the one who's too small and the dreams seem just too big to fit on you. So we let them go.

Heartwork

I devoted my day to the gleeful satisfaction of working. For those of you that don't know, I recently took a kinda huge (and very scary, but also very awesome) professional leap from playing at school and teaching kids to playing at home and kick-starting businesses.

To Do:

Sometimes I feel swallowed up by my list of perceived obligations that I forget what I really should be doing...

Rain

Let it rain.

52 Things I Love About You

This is an adorable little Valentine's Day idea that I found online: Taking a deck of cards and putting things you love about a special person on each card. However, you don't have to wait another 340 some odd days until the next "day of love"--in my opinion, everyday should be a day of love!

The Little Things

I've been an ardent studier of marriages my whole life. The concept always curled around my heart and stayed their sweetly as I constantly daydreamed of it. It goes deeper than just having a pretty wedding dress or a Mrs. in front of my name. It's an entire new world of beauty. And I am oh so excited for it. But mostly, I'm excited for the little things about being married...

Re-Bound

To be fair, my last entry should have been filed under "Heart Frowns" rather than "Heart Smiles." This one, though, is aptly placed. Thanks to my best friend in the whole world, I've got my old notebook with me again. Only this time, it's rebound and filled with tons of fresh new pages.

My Heart's Notebook

My Mac is dying. I realize it's just a computer, a piece of hardware, a small white machine, but it still hurts.

My Kitten

I was scared to live by myself. Maybe it's my distaste for being in an empty house alone, my past of self-perpetuated sleeping anxieties, or my perfectly justifiable fear of mass-murders, but the idea just never (ever) sat well with me. (Ever.) But I knew without a doubt that I would be alright if I had one thing. A kitten.