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This week has been a lot of this and that, here and there, up and down. And now it’s the weekend! A busy weekend, for sure, but the weekend nonetheless. Have a good one.

heated blankets & watching new girl
shower planning & craft projects
coffee in the car & preschool drop off
farmers Markets & sunshine
calling caterers & organizing addresses
dreaming & goal setting
helping friends & laughing hard
planning & following through
orange leaves & green grass
being patient & having expectations
hide & seek
ice cream & rummikub
bananas & peanut butter
orange paint & potato stencils
rice & lentils
lead & rubber
wind & sunglasses
music & clarity Lately I love… Reading in bed.

The color yellow.

Staying up late.

Any excuse to stay home.


Knowing we are SO close to the end of How I Met Your Mother!

Children who don’t bicker.

Taking my mom’s advice.

Setting the dinner table.

Browsing Pinterest for picnic wedding ideas.


Babies, too.

The simple act of “being”.

Catching up with my girlfriends.

Picnics by our community garden.


What are you loving these days?

The final and actual destination for our trip out East, despite our stops along the way, was Harrisville, New Hampshire. We were there for three days, celebrating the marriage of Sean’s older brother and wife. It was pretty amazing. All of Sean’s lifelong friends were there, in one house, playing games, preparing meals, sharing old stories, making new stories, setting the tables, manning the grill, watching the sun set, practicing yoga, basking in the hot tub, admiring the mountains, taking walks, watching little goats prance, dancing, camping, hiking through the woods, sharing an experience we will never forget. It was so much fun to get away and simply be! We didn’t have to work or worry, we just had to be present, to celebrate, to love. I’m hoping this week away will lead to a regular trip somewhere each year with this group of friends— that we can take time for each other once a year, no matter how crazy life can get for us (because dang, being in a house with all of these people was one hilarious experience!). I already take a weekend each summer with my girlfriends and I know what a relief it is to have our special trip each year. Hopefully this trip is the start of a great tradition! Do you and your knit of friends have fun traditions?

Even though I have a few more entries about our trip, I wanted to take a break from last week and focus on today. Because today is pretty great, too. Even though we aren’t on vacation anymore…. Settling into a morning routine.
Relaxing about life.
Staying present.
Remembering my purpose.
Remembering how to turn on a stove.
Fearing long drives.
Planning for the future.
Playing volleyball after dinner.
Unpacking still and probably forever.
Loving this newly engaged lifestyle.
Cooking with lots of basil.
Practicing yoga, again.
Browsing wedding dresses online.
Appreciating today and the opportunities in tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be good, too.

Hello, Monday! You’re never as bad as I imagine you to be in my head, are you? Nah. After a fun weekend, it’s easy to embrace the normality and structure that a Monday can bring. And what a fun, beautiful weekend it was in Michigan! This weekend was…
Jumping on the opportunity to work from home.
Introducing new friends with the old.
Night swimming.
Browsing through an art fair.
Chatting with Farmers Market vendors.
Sleeping in.
Drinking my coffee while I watch Mad Men.
Spending Saturday night with an old friend and my soon-to-be- God Daughter.
Getting all my baby snuggles in.
Laughing. Lots of laughing.
Planning a Bachelorette Party poolside.
Over-indulging in strawberries.
Creating cards for loved ones.

Here’s to a great week, friends! Enjoy.

Our weekend started off with a real bang and slowly dwindled to a whole lot of nothingness.— if it’s possible to have nothing. Either way, all of that “nothing” we had was greatly appreciated around here. Sean and I are very good at juggling all the madness, but after awhile, you just need a break, at home, alone, together, not saying much, just being. So we did just that. 
Celebrating a healthy, happy and very sweet nephew every moment he was here…

Wandering the farmers market with my sister on a great lavender hunt…

Loving a full apartment with people and messes and laughter…

Watching Sean connect with his baby-hog side…

Planting, potting and making a giant mess of plants inside and out!

Deciding last minute to go to the movies…

Seeing the city by foot…

Taking advantage of the art museum being open for free…

Smelling carnival food and resisting the temptation…but…

Making our own sweet potato fries with veggie chili and cheese the moment we got home!

Charging our batteries and getting ready for the week to come!


Oh this week. This week has been something else for me. I threw my back out on Monday night. I know, right, I’m only 27 years old. But so it goes when your job is lifting three year old’s all day long. It has been days of pain and vertical positions, trips to the chiropractor and repeating to my little chicks, “I’m sorry, Danielle can’t pick you up today.” It’s not always easy to stick to the rules, to not do what you want so badly to, but you have to take care of yourself first, before you can take care of others. And that is lesson well learned..Things are on the up and up here though.

My sister came into town, so it will be great to spend some “sister time” with her. It’s been a very long time since she and I have had an opportunity to connect, alone, outside of giant family parties and holidays. We are mending our bond, strengthening our connection and laughing about all the ridiculous things only a sister can remember and understand. It will be great to do our own thing and not have to worry about anything in particular…. Things are on the up and up here.

Our plan is to make no plans, other than taking my car in to get fixed. I know, right, I just bought that baby. But, sadly someone backed into us this week at Costco. To which, I can only say, I have become a much more cautious driver after. I like to learn from other people’s mistakes. So, in reality, this like smash-up has been a small blessing. It reminds me that things could always be worse, and we just have to be so grateful everyday, for everything we have. When we were growing up my mom always said, “Things are just ‘things’ and you can’t worry too much about a ‘thing’. People are what matter and if everyONE is okay, then everyTHING will be, too.” She’s a smart woman, and that lesson saved my spirit this week. Things are on the up and up here.

This week I pulled my sweater collection out to protect myself from the rain and cold. It gave me a fresh opportunity to wear my favorite boots with my summer skirts, which didn’t look at silly as I would have thought. And now Mother Nature is throwing us a Sunshine After the Rain Party, here in Michigan. She’s a hard one to stay mad at when she blesses us with morning like today. Things are on the up and up here.

Weeks like this, that test us physically, have a great possibility for making us stronger. I will feel better. I will heal. I will be able to bend over and pick the toys off the floor again. Life is all about perspective. And Dolly Parton is totally right when she said, “Storms make trees take deeper roots.” I believe that. Things are on the up and up here. This Friday, don’t forget to look up. There is beauty to be found on the branches above us.

Simple photos, no words. A moment to sit back, look around and say nothing. “Hey Sean, can we go to the beach?” I asked, as we drove along the shore on our way home last night. It wasn’t very warm outside. It was already after nine and we had two hours until we would be home. And we were both already very tired.  But the sun was setting and the beach was pretty much empty, and how enticing it sounded to sink my toes into the cool sand on Memorial Day Weekend.

“You want to go to the beach? Now?” He smiled at me.

“Yes,” I smiled back.

“Okay,” he said, as he pulled the car over.

And I’m so glad he did. Even though it was only ten minutes, it was perfect. Because that’s what life is about for us: stopping to enjoy the little moments the world offers you along the way. What is life if you are not living? How blessed I am to have him to share my days with. Thank you, Sean, for encouraging me to say my impulsive ideas aloud. I will never tire of watching you walk through the dune grass in your black hooded sweatshirt. Love, Danielle