My husband and I got a special opportunity to celebrate our anniversary this weekend without kids. They went off to a slumber party at my parents' house so we could have some time alone. 

What would you do with one night? Normally we out the kids to bed, journal, talk about what is happening the next day, and maybe watch a short show before heading to bed. For this night we got to have a meal and chat about anything we wanted, uninterrupted. We shared ideas and cool things we had heard about like scientific discoveries and inventions. (I love when we geek out together.) We watched a funny movie and discussed the validity of trying some of the ridiculous things in real life. We laughed. We ate. We talked. We cuddled. 

After an evening in, we decided to try a night out. For bedtime we set out camp hammocks up on the deck. At first my husband tried stringing up some lights "to make it a little more romantic", but I assured him nature itself was more beautiful to me. 

The stars were hidden behind dense clouds that have hung over the area for a couple weeks now. The chances of rain were low enough we decided it was worth the risk. The leaves in the trees blew gently singing a soft lullaby. And my husband added a quiet song with his harmonica that complimented it beautifully. 

I'm so grateful for this experience. I'm grateful for a date "in" and then a night out. I'm grateful for the perfect date. I'm grateful for the soft lullaby. I'm grateful for such an amazing experience. I'm grateful for the excitement to try it again soon. I'm grateful to find the hammock was more comfortable to sleep in than I imagined. I'm grateful for these unique and wonderful ideas my husband comes up with to share.

What is your perfect date? What is your perfect night out?

May we celebrate in ways that speak to our hearts. May we cherish the moments of connection. Have a beautiful day!

Today marks six years since I said "I do" to my love. Outside the weather is much the same, unusually cool and rainy, as it was on our wedding day. Inside so much has changed. 

Our house is now full of the (mostly) joyful noises of two young daughters running and playing. One, very elderly dog follows us just to nap in each room. Plenty of material things have changed and even work schedules and structures have changed. Even our love has changed. 

In the midst of all the bumps and celebrations I cannot put my finger on one specific moment of our relationship shifting. If you had asked me when we married I would have said our love was deep and strong. Yet somehow how love has grown even deeper and infinitely stronger. It is interesting looking back, now that we have made it to this point and realized how much "puppy love" was still in play back then that has now grown into a deeply connected love. 

I cannot say that my husband was my first love. He cannot say that either. But I can say that this is the strongest love, and probably the healthiest relationship, I have been in due to the time and energy we have put into "us".

I'm beyond grateful for my husband. I'm grateful for how we grow together. I'm grateful for the many ways we are opposites that keep us in balance. I'm grateful for the ways we are the same that enhance that strength. I'm grateful for the last six years of marriage and eight years of getting to know each other. I'm grateful for the beautiful family we have made. I'm grateful for the support and love we give each other. I'm grateful for the opportunity to create the next amazing year together.

What is your definition of a soulmate? Have you ever been in love? Have you carried out the actual act of loving and growing together with someone? 

May we remember that love isn't just an emotion; it is an action. May we celebrate the ones we love every day. Have a beautiful day!

One benefit of the pandemic is recognizing the things that are most important to us that used to be taken for granted. I would have to say one of the top pastimes I have missed is just sitting around talking with friends. Yes, we are still able to do this over Zoom but it is still not the same as sitting around in person being able to cue on body language and joke around. 

Today I was able to have this experience, in the flesh. I was blessed with the opportunity to sit with one of my best friends, in person, and chat about what is going on in life. It turns out there was a lot to talk about! This is one of the best things about old friends, no matter how long the gap of time we can just pick right back up. 

It did my heart and soul good to see her in person. It felt so normal to just get to sit and chat. It got me excited hearing about the things going on in her life and it felt so nice to be included in this news. 

I'm so grateful for long term friendships. I'm grateful for the way they stand the tests of time. I'm grateful for all the ways she is my opposite and all the ways we are more similar than we probably even realize. I'm grateful for face to face interactions. I'm grateful for a hug! I'm grateful to laugh together. I'm grateful for my kids' cooperation so we could chat. I'm grateful for my husband helping with the snow removal so I could enjoy my friend's visit and still get to work on time. 

How old is your longest friendship? Who brings gratitude to your life?

May today remind us how vital our friendships and relationships are to health. May we see the beauty in these moments that have been few and far between this last year. Have a beautiful day!

Today is my husband's birthday. We have celebrated a few birthdays together and we like to do what we can to make them special in some way. This year tossed us a few hiccups but we're making the most of it.

I have never met anyone like my husband. There is very little he can't do and his love of learning truly shows. He is an amazing dad, a great husband and friend, and just an all around good guy. 

If someone needs his help, be it the neighbor, his family, or even a random person whose car got stuck in a ditch; he's there to offer a hand. One time when we were dating we drove nearly forty minutes just to bring me a sandwich for lunch. I hadn't asked but he knew I had not packed a lunch and brought one over. 

I love the adventures we have been on together and I look forward to the ones ahead. It won't always be easy but we can handle just about anything if we do it together. 

I'm grateful for the timing of when I met my husband. I'm grateful for the turn it brought in my plans. I'm grateful to have made that turn and chosen this life full of love. I'm grateful to celebrate my husband today even if it is a mellow celebration. I'm grateful for the excitement to give him his gift. I'm grateful that its delay means more time to celebrate this wonderful man. I'm grateful for all the ways he offers love and support. I'm grateful for all the ways this world is better for him being in it. I'm grateful to get to wake up next to him each morning and kiss him each night.

Who in your life deserves celebrating? Who makes the world, or at least your world, better just by being there?

May we take the time to celebrate the ones we love. May we tell them how much we appreciate and cherish all they do. Have a beautiful day! 

Today may be Sunday, but it is the Sunday before Memorial Day. Without work tomorrow, today feels more like a Saturday. For that matter, the last four days have felt like Saturday.

My husband took off work last Wednesday through Friday for our anniversary. The plan was to do a little family camping but that plan fell through. Instead we did things around home with our girls and knocked out a few projects as well. But each day felt like Saturday with no one working and the schedule open. 

Have you seen the movie Groundhog's Day? Bill Murray keeps reliving the same day over and over again. The last five days have been our groundhog's day but in the very best of ways.

We had a picnic and played outside a lot with the drone and bubbles. We filled the water table then watched as the girls splashed it empty again. We played games with the girls and knocked out projects during their nap times. My husband and I got to watch shows and even a movie together! It is amazing how much can fit in a day when both parents are home and tuned in!

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. It is a day of remembrance. It is also the last day for us to knock out our projects before I head back to work. Most of all it is a day to remember what is truly important and spend time with family. 

It has been a truly beautiful stay-cation week. I'm so grateful to cross some things off our list. I'm grateful to get to spend time together as a family. I'm grateful for a fun impromptu picnic. I'm grateful to do several carry-out food orders as we have not eaten out much during this shelter-in-place. I'm grateful for the joy on my girls' faces as we spend time with them. I'm grateful to watch my husband try to play Barbies with our eldest. I'm grateful for the quality time my husband and I got together. I'm grateful our dog is back on her meds and feeling good. I'm grateful to have gotten this opportunity.

What day would you like to repeat for several days? What would you do with the time? Who would you share the time?

May today remind us what is important. May we take time to reflect tomorrow and remember those whom we have lost. May we also focus on who is important to us here and now and let them know. Have a beautiful day! 

This weekend was a weekend full of dreams. No, I did not get caught up on sleep...in fact I got very little sleep. This weekend was about dreaming about the future and about seeing a couple dreams come to fruition. 

Saturday my husband and I, with baby in tow, drove a couple hours from home to go to an Overland Expo. While they didn't have quite as many tiny, rugged campers as I hoped they did have some impressive ones. They also had tons of really cool rooftop tent setups and other gear to make overlanding that much more awesome. 

Walking through the expo my husband and I were both floating on possibilities. What would work for us now, what would work in the future, and just what was cool even though it didn't meet either of those criteria. It was awesome! And it was awesome to be surrounded by people with similar dreams and hear their stories.

We took a detour on the way home to look at some campers. They didn't have the one we've been dreaming about but they had some pretty cool setups. It was fun to create stories like "oh yeah this one would be great when the girls are older and each bring a friend for the adventure." It got us talking about which features were nice and which ones we actually wanted. That led us down the dream highway on where we want to go and what our overlanding gear would need to accommodate the off the beaten road adventures. 

We made it back in town last night in time to get our older daughter from her grandparents. Then today before and after family lunch it was like moving day. My dad brought the built in bookshelves we had been working on at his shop to start the installation on either side of the fireplace. This has been a dream I drew up over three years ago but it kept getting put off with other projects. It will still take a couple more days to work on installing them but to see them in place with temporary anchors is so exciting!

We also got a deep freezer and my brother helped us move it downstairs to the basement. I look forward to filling it with bulk meats from the farm as well as homemade, pre-made casseroles and dishes to help the week go more smoothly. Right now my husband is taxed with cooking in the evening while watching both girls while I'm at work, after already working a long day himself. It will be so nice to relieve some of that burden while getting to cook for my family!

I'm so grateful to see my dreams of the bookshelves coming to fruition. I'm grateful to have gotten to help paint them and to know my husband and dad got to bond over building them. I'm grateful to see how much more storage space it will give us. I'm grateful to have a freezer to help us prepare and make evenings a little easier. I'm so grateful for our quick get-away. I'm grateful for an overland expo to bring all kinds of fun gear to one place for us to see. I'm grateful the baby did so great on the trip. I'm grateful for the commitment to get outdoors and raise our girls to explore. I'm grateful to share the same dreams and values as my husband. I'm grateful for a long car ride full of dreaming together. 

What are your dreams? What do you love to do? What dreams are you currently working to bring to fruition?

May today give us the energy to actively pursue our dreams. May we dream as big as our hearts allow. Have a beautiful day!

The sound of a good friend's voice has me bursting with gratitude today. One thing they don't really tell you when you are planning to become a parent is all the friends that will fade away as the season of your life changes. 

I hadn't heard from this friend but twice in the last year or two. She was always someone I looked up too and reached out to for advice. But on top of that she is just a beautiful person to know and you can tell it by the sound of her voice.

There is something very soothing about the right voice, isn't there? My husband and I "met" online through a dating website. We chatted online back and forth for months before I finally gave him my number. The funny thing was when he called, his voice sounded familiar even though I had never heard it before. 

Some voices just sound like home. You can tell by the tones that they are full of love. I'm not saying these people never yell or get crabby, but at the core of the voice I can feel the love.

I'm grateful for people like this in my life. I'm grateful as a mom to inherently have a voice like that for my girls, that can soothe them. I'm grateful to have given my number to the man that turned out to be my soulmate. I'm grateful for the beautiful sound of a friend's voice. I'm grateful to know she is well. I'm grateful for the sweet sound of a voice that can convey so much love. I'm grateful consciously infuse love into my voice when I speak as well.

How do you respond to different tones? What tones do you use most often? Whose voice soothes you?

May we cherish the friends whom we carry in our hearts. May we always speak with love and receive the same blessing. Have a beautiful day!

It is Christmas Eve Eve, the night before the holiday kicks off for my family. I will admit that the last two days have had their fair share of anxiety attacks as I think of all the last minute things that need done. 

I am aware that there is a biological component as my vitamins have changed. Yet I have to acknowledge the extra pressure I have put on myself combined with less self-care as the main culprit. 

As I drove home from work tonight my mind seemed to be all over the place. One thought interrupted another as I made mental reminders for tomorrow. 

When I stepped through the door at home something shifted. We turned on Christmas music and my husband and I danced with our girls. My hula hoop came out for some silliness. It was a beautiful half hour of being in the moment.

The next thing I knew it was passed the girls' bedtimes and my stress returned full force. Anxiety gripped me as the baby resisted going down. And much to my disappointment I had too much to do downstairs to lay down with my preschooler. Just when I felt an anxiety attack clenching me, my husband started being silly and making me smile...then chuckle, then laugh. He is so great at pushing that reset button. 

I'm grateful to let time slow down. I'm grateful to keep re-routing my attention to this moment. I'm grateful for all the blessings in this moment. I'm grateful to know everything will get done and I will still get some sleep. I'm grateful for leftovers so that I could have a delicious meal without the delay of making myself dinner. I'm grateful to have a delicious breakfast pre-cooked in the fridge as well. I'm grateful for my family's patience as I try to manage my stress and I'm grateful for their joy and laughter that brings me back to what is important.

How are you doing this holiday season? What helps you to reset and focus on the present moment?

May today help us see what is important and focus on the beauty of the present moment. May we have someone to share the holiday with that brings us joy. Have a beautiful day!

The gifts I wanted most for Christmas came early. Friday morning my preschooler gave me a gift I have been wanting pretty much since she was born. All I have wanted was to be able to snuggle her while she sleeps on me, when she isn't sick. 

It isn't that she isn't snuggly. If my daughter is awake or not feeling well then she is fine with snuggling. But if my daughter is awake, she is talking. She falls asleep talking and sometimes I swear she wakes up mid sentence.

Friday morning she came and crawled into bed next to me. This in itself is rare because she knows we don't let her sleep in our bed at night, but it was around six. It struck me as odd because she cuddled right into me when usually she would prefer to lie next to me without really touching much. The real shock came when she didn't start talking but instead fell back to sleep cuddled on my shoulder. I will admit I instantly assumed she was ill. But I was wrong and when we got up an hour later she was perfectly fine. I had just received the best Christmas gift she could give me.

The same day my baby girl was in the best mood. She filled the air with big belly laughs over everything from me eating to her sister jumping. Everything seemed to tickle her. Up until this point she really hasn't been big on laughing. She laughs little giggles on occasion if my finger brushes her rib while I change a diaper or if her sister does something extra silly. I can say she is a happy baby but she isn't overly giggly. Hearing her laugh big belly laughs, I thought this was the best gift she could give me for Christmas.

Little did I know my baby girl had another great gift in store. That night she slept nine straight hours! It was beautiful! Best. Gift. Ever. 

​To round out the weekend of best gifts, my parents came Saturday and my husband and I got a date night. In my book it was our best one in a long time. We got in the car with no plan but it all fell into place. We stopped for warm drinks before heading out to a local trail to walk. Despite being the Winter Solstice the sun was warm and high while we walked. We shared laughter and enjoyed the fresh air and reconnection to nature. It was perfect.

As if that weren't wonderful enough, we found a little hole in the wall kind of place that serves some authentic Chicago style food. While I didn't even know what that really meant, me husband was ecstatic so we went in. We ordered what turned out to be two delicious meals. As a bonus, while we were waiting for the meals to come out, we got to play pinball! 

I'm so grateful for my family and the perfect Christmas gifts they provided. I'm grateful to truly feel my heart overflow with joy. I'm grateful to get to snuggle my daughter while she is healthy. I'm grateful to have felt her soft snores on my neck as she cuddled in close. I'm grateful for the beautiful sound that is my baby's laugh. I'm grateful to have been blessed with an abundance of her laughter if even for the day. I'm grateful for her wonderful stretch of sleep, even if it isn't a nightly occurrence. I'm grateful she is a pretty good sleeper over all. I'm grateful to enjoy the outdoors this weekend with my husband. I'm grateful to spend the solstice outside walking the trail. I'm grateful for the laughter my husband and I shared as we reconnected. I'm grateful for the kind couple that owns Pizza Man, the Chicago style eatery. I'm grateful for a weekend of blessings and to receive the best gifts my heart could have asked.

What do you want for the holidays? What would be the best gift to your heart and soul? 

May today remind us what is important. May we celebrate the season by giving and receiving the gifts that mean the most. Have a beautiful day!

As we enter into a new work week I can't help but have marriage on my mind. My husband and I were lucky to have carved out a small portion of one on one time this weekend despite multiple anti-nap shenanigans by our girls. Also this week marks my parents' anniversary, forty-one years. 

It was said so well in Princess Bride. "Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam, and wove, twue wove." It is said so well not because of the humor, though I do love that movie, but because of how it is said. Marriage is a blessed arrangement. It is hopefully a dream within a dream and true love. But ike the pronunciation, or perhaps just enunciation, it is not perfect.

Marriage, true marriage wasn't meant to be picture perfect. It wasn't meant to be the reflection of the crystal goblets and eating off the fine china in candle light with never a negative word said. It was meant to be spaghetti left on the chair and sat in, bonfires that sometimes get larger than planned, and renovations both of the home and of the relationship.

We weren't made to be rigidly one way for our whole life. Life shapes us and we shift and adapt in return. Marriage is like life. Things come our way and we each adapt in our own way. The beauty is being able to adapt our own way and still respect, love, and if we're lucky even understand our mate. Marriage is the ability to go through all that and still take each others' hand and say "what's next?" 

I'm grateful to witness the beauty of my parents' marriage. I'm grateful for all they have taught me as they navigated their marriage. I'm grateful to hold hope for my husband and I celebrating forty-one years of marriage even though we started much later. I'm grateful for Princess Bride and for this quote that is beautifully perfect in its imperfect delivery. I'm grateful to be walking my path with my soulmate and to make the commitment to each other even amongst the distractions of life. I'm grateful for our beautiful daughters and even their shenanigans. 

What does marriage look like to you? What is the most important aspect of your own view of marriage?

May we cherish the moments we have with the ones we love. May we come through each bump stronger and more in love. And may we renew our commitment each day. Have a beautiful day!