The brunette behind the blog...

I forget sometimes that most of you guys haven't been reading this silly little blog long enough to have been around for this post.  Or this one.  Maybe you didn't know that Micah and I met in middle school, or that our dads went to high school together.  (And so did our grandparents.  It's kind of insanely cute.)

And because you gals really are dear friends to me, and I like to think of us chatting away over a cup of coffee (a skinny peppermint mocha latte with extra peppermint, to be more precise), I just sort of feel like you should know who you're chatting with.

So... meet Ryan.

I was a slightly weird child who sometimes wore medieval headdresses and bowties to school.  (And I apparently wanted to be a romance novelist when I grew up.)  My older brother was the cool kid, and I followed him around like a puppy, hoping the coolness would eventually rub off.  It did not.

I went to a teeny, tiny high school in north Texas.  (This one, actually.  Go Braves!).  

It was so tiny, in fact, that I played volleyball, basketball, cheered, wrote for the school paper, dated two quarterbacks and the captain of the basketball team, and graduated valedictorian of my class.  All while managing to remain totally and completely awkward (so I can totally say all of those things without you guys thinking that I was that girl).

Micah and I started dating my senior year (he was quarterback number two, if you're keeping count.  And I won't bore you with the story about how we actually started dating when I was a freshman, but he broke my heart after a couple of months, and I didn't really speak to him for about three years until he called me out of the blue one day and professed his very unrequited love.)

We knew pretty early on that we what we were dealing with was the forever kind of stuff, and most of the decisions I made from that point forward revolved around us creating a future together.  (Although we did break up once.  This is how he won me back over.  One of the sweetest moments of my life.)

I went to college at the University of Texas at Dallas (go Comets!) to study biochemistry with the idea that I'd head to pharmacy school after I graduated.  But after breaking a ridiculous amount of glassware in the chemistry lab, I figured mixing medication was probably not my calling and decided on law school instead.

My parents divorced when I was a sophomore in college.  It sort of shattered my little world, but it was probably the smoothest divorce in the history of the universe.  My parents are amazing and are still very friendly with one another.  And that has made all the difference in the world for my brother and me.

After I graduated college, Micah and I moved to Houston for law school (go Cougars!) and so Micah could finish undergrad.  (He's a year younger than me... rawwwr  ←  That was me being a cougar.  I have a feeling that didn't quite come across.)  We lived there for three years and survived a hurricane, two tropical storms, our wedding, law review, the bar exam, and the death of my twenty-year-old cat.

Houston was always supposed to be a temporary thing, so when I got a job in Dallas and Micah got the okay to transfer to the Dallas office of the engineering firm he was working at, we left Houston in the dust and headed home as fast as we could.  (And by "home," I mean a different small town in between Dallas and Josephine.  Girlfriend wasn't even about try and do the hour-and-a-half commute into town every day...)

In the last three-ish years that we've been home, life has been just about as sweet as it could be.  We're making our house into a home, raising our little girl, and savoring the ordinary moments before they can pass us by.

Same old boy, same sweet girl.  Ten Eleven years down the road.

Balance...

This blogging thing can be difficult sometimes.  One of the hardest parts about opening up your life for people to see is finding a happy balance between sharing enough and sharing too much.

Because we all know the look at me girls.  You know the ones.  They live in immaculate houses with shiny floors so clean they could eat off of them.  But they'd never, of course.  Their parties and outfits put Pinterest to shame.  Their kids were reading Jane Eyre at two-and-a-half.  Weren't yours?  

You see whatever shiny parts of their lives they want to show you and assume that's really what life looks like for them.

On the flip side, there are the poor me girls.  They're always battling some injustice.  Or drama.  Life is unfair and miserable, and don't they just deserve a break?

It's a tough thing, trying to avoid both extremes.  Because no one likes a bragger, but the martyrs and the complainers and the airers of every speck of their dirty laundry aren't very much fun either.  

So I am aiming just to end up somewhere in the middle.

Know that my hair is almost always dirty.
I gave birth over five months ago but still live in maternity yoga pants.
My car smells like a giant fart.
I have laundry piled so high in my closet that I could cry.
I haven't cooked an actual meal in months.
I'm not above eating food that falls on my dirty hardwoods.
I drop the f-bomb at least once a day.
I pick my nose.
I lose my patience.
I'm ridiculously awkward.

And so on and so forth.

But I'm also incandescently happy.
And content.
And blessed beyond measure.
And covered in so much grace you wouldn't believe it.

Or maybe you would.

But, bottom line, I think we could all be a little better about letting each other off the hook.  None of us are perfect, and we're all fighting our own battles.  And while putting our prettiest faces forward makes some of us happy, some of us feel better when we can vent to others and put it all out there.  

So to the extent you ever wonder if I've got it all together, I can assure you I don't.  And if you ever feel like I must be the most miserable person on the planet, I promise I'm not.  It's just that some days are easier than others.  While I can sometimes manage to look up and see Him, the everyday life stuff often clouds my vision.

I am undeniably flawed.  But confident in His ability to make me more like Him.  Hopefully you can see both of those things in me and love me anyway.  Or at least tolerate me enough to keep reading... ;)

Grace: five months

My darling Grace,

You are such a joy, little girl.  We've really started to see your personality emerge this month, and I could just eat you up!

Here are your five-month stats:

Five Months at a Glance

Weight:  16 pounds, 3 ounces (we just happened to be at the doctor's office on the right day!)

Length:  ?

Eating:  4-6 ounces five times a day

Sleeping:  10 hours at night, 3 naps (anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours)

Diapers:  size 3 (we just) switched

Clothes:  6 months, 6-9 months

Things You Love:  Daddy, bath time, lotion time, This Little Piggy, touching faces, your jumperoo, "Pop Goes the Weasel," the bumbo, having your hair played with, snuggles with Mommy, your bunny, sleeping on your side, going naked, story time, talking to yourself (loudly!), bouncing up and down

What You Can Do This Month: sit in a tripod position (supported by your arms), roll from your back to your tummy, find your paci on your paci clip and put it in your mouth (sometimes), jump in your jumperoo (without books under your feet!)

Oh, love.  We're so enamored with you.  We'll do just about anything to make you laugh.  (Although Daddy doesn't have to try very hard!  While Mommy was taking your five-month pictures, you wouldn't crack a smile.  But then Daddy walked into the room...)

Every stinking time... :)  You got another tummy bug this month.  And the resulting diaper rash was awful.  But I think we're finally back to normal.

You started wearing your DOC Band this month to try and fix that little flat head, and you're doing pretty great with it!  It doesn't seem to bother you, except that you are waking up more easily at night, and I'm not sure if it's the band or some sort of sleep regression.  We've got our fingers crossed that you won't have to wear it too long.

Eating:  We switched you to a four-hour schedule this month, and you're doing great!  You're still only eating 4-6 months at a time, but you are definitely growing, baby girl, so we're just going to let you work up to more when you're ready.  

Sleeping:  Before your tummy bug, you were sleeping through the night like a CHAMP.  You'd go 10-11 hours (including the dream feed) with no problems.  But then you started waking up with dirty diapers, and we obviously had to disrupt your beauty sleep to get you cleaned up!  We're probably going to have to do a little more crying it out to get you back on track again, but I feel sure you'll get back to "normal" soon. :)

You usually wake up around 6, but we can sometimes put you in bed with us on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and you'll sleep until 7:00 or 7:30.

Naps are still inconsistent.  You won't really do more than three 45-minute naps at daycare (sometimes up to an hour at a time), but they say they don't mind since you're such a happy girl. :)  At home, you'll go longer, and you love that early evening nap.  Momma usually has to wake you up for dinner!

(sweetest face!)

Other Stuff:  You HATE dirty diapers, and that's about the only time you cry like you mean it.

We've got our bed time routine down, and I think you look forward to it every night.  We start with a bath, then do lotion, put on PJs, read a book, and then Momma sings some sort of hymn (usually "How Great Thou Art"), and you go out like I've tranquilized you.  (I'm trying not to take it personally that you don't like to stay awake when I sing - ha!)

You love being around your cousins.  You just smile at them like they're the coolest thing you've ever seen.  Soon enough you'll be big enough to keep up with them. :)

See how you've already grown so much?

We love you more than anything, sweet girl.

Love,
Mommy

Dex and beans and whatnot...

{★}  We had a fabulous weekend!  Lunch with the fam on Saturday was lovely, and my sweet little cousin ended up getting ENGAGED!  Congratulations, Sam!

{★}  We tried rice cereal for the first time last night.  Grace is definitely not a fan.  If you need a laugh today, you should totally watch this video to see her reaction.  Girlfriend would hardly let me come near her with the spoon after she tasted it.


{★}  Dexter series finale.

via

Oh. Em. Gee.

OH. EM. GEE.

I won't ruin it for you in case you DVRd it (and be sure and keep any comments you leave sufficiently vague so we don't give it away), but.... I just... I can't... ugh.

{★}  We had Gracie's dedication yesterday at church.  And I swear to goodness, I must be the worst mom EVER because I didn't get a single picture.  Like not one.  It was a hectic morning, so I didn't have time beforehand, and then all of our family came to our house for barbecue afterward, and I was busy playing host.  And then Grace fell asleep while everyone was leaving, so we were left with no one to take our picture after she woke up.  Apparently I'll just have to rely on my memory.

Oh, and then we poisoned all of our guests.

Okay, not really all of them.  But everyone who ate beans was up all night last night sick.  I feel so terrible.  And poor Micah.  He had the stomach bug last week and then food poisoning last night.  And I managed to avoid both (because who eats beans when there are cheesy potatoes and smoked sausage?).  I'm pretty sure he hates the world right now.

So that's what we've been up to.  How about you guys?

Confessing...

There are so many things to share that my brain is protesting any thoughtful (read: coherent) post.  But good golly, miss Molly, it's FRIDAY!  So I'm confessing and linking up with Leslie.  And Joy.  Because that's what all the cool kids are doing.

One.  I snapped this picture of Grace last weekend just before my cousin's little girl's birthday party.

Is that smile not the most adorable thing you've ever seen?  I mean, seriously.  She crinkles her nose when she laughs... just like momma.

And I think we're starting to turn the corner on the tummy bug stuff.  Thank heavens.  That stuff is super un-fun.

(Also, I owe you guys a five month update, and it's definitely coming soon.)

Two.  We've got a fun weekend ahead.  Dinner with Micah's family tonight, lunch with my mom's side of the family tomorrow, and Grace's dedication at church on Sunday.  I'm supposed to be taking either some sort of a salad-y dish or a dessert to the thing tomorrow, and I am totally blanking out.  Any ideas, friends?

Three.  I'm putting myself on a self-imposed spending freeze.  Not for myself, but for clothes for Gracie.  I kid you not, I've spent a ludicrous amount of money on cute clothes for her (like that little pink dress in the picture above... kill me), and our bank account is taking a beating.  So I have to cut myself off.  Tomorrow.

Four.  Gracie is totally rocking her DOC Band!  (To read about our DOC Band adventure, click here.)

She started wearing it full time yesterday, and she's actually doing really great!  You can tell she's not loving it yet, but I think she'll be completely adjusted in a couple of days.  Her head is a teensy bit floppier than usual, but I hear that gets better, too.

There are places that will "wrap" the bands (like how cars are wrapped with advertisements, etc), but we went with simple.  Rhinestone stickers for the win!

Five.   I saved the best confession for last.  My brother and sister-in-law found out this week that they're having a little GIRL!  I am so. freaking. excited.  She'll be less than a year younger than Gracie, and I hope and pray that they will be close as they grow up.  Faith and I are going to have so much fun with our sweet girls.

Alright, friends.  That's all I've got today.  Hope you all have a fabulous weekend.  I think fall is officially on its way to Texas, and I couldn't be happier!

A night for the books...

In a Facebook-filled, Pinterest-driven, look at me and my perfect life kind of world, I want to be better at being transparent. Because isn't that half the battle? Aren't the hard days just slightly more bearable when you know you're not the only one struggling to get yourself out the door with shoes that match?

So here I am, telling you about another one of the rough days.  Most days are amazing.  This one was not. To start, Grace came down with some sort of stomach bug on Saturday evening.  She woke up in the middle of the night with a dirty diaper (which never happens), so I braced myself for a few not-so-pleasant days.  But then Micah got it too, and I dreaded having to do it all without him (which just reminds me how lucky I am to have a husband who carries so much of the load for me).

Fast forward to yesterday evening.  We'd been going on two days of fussiness, dirty diapers, and a really bad case of diaper rash.  Some research on the internets (I love saying "internets," don't you?) suggested that a baking soda bath would be great for the diaper rash, so I dumped a few tablespoons in the bath and plopped Grace in it just before bedtime.   Here is the sequence of events that followed.

-     As I'm washing her hair, she starts crying and rubbing her eyes.  She is never bothered by (tear-free) soap in her eyes, so I ponder for a few seconds what might be going on when I remember the freaking baking soda.

-     I curse the internets (and myself for forgetting about the baking soda).

-     I try and rinse her eyes out with fresh water for a minute, but she screams, so I go to get her out of the bath tub.

-     She poops in the bath tub.  

Side note:  I feel like I'm kind of blowing the no-poop rule out of the water here.  {No pun intended.}  Sorry about that, but this story really kind of revolves around it.  For the rest of this post, we'll just say "glitter" instead.  

-     Ahem.  She glitters in the bath tub.

-     Micah realizes what's happening and helps me hose her off and clean the tub.

-     I call the doctor while Micah dries her off and puts on her PJs.  I get an answering service who says they'll page the on-call pediatrician.

-     Grace calms down and eventually falls to sleep while we wait for the doctor to call.

-     The doctor finally calls.  An hour later.  He says to call poison control.

-     I panic.  And then I call poison control and am told that we need to flush her eyes with fresh water.  For fifteen minutes.  Or else we can go to the emergency room, where they'll do the exact same thing.

-     I die a little.  And then we wake our sweet girl up, discover she's glittered again, clean her again, and then put her in the tub again.

-     Micah gets the fun job of trickling water down her forehead while she squirms and splashes around.  I bribe her to keep her eyes open by playing her favorite Pop Goes the Weasel video.  And feel like the worst mom ever.

-     After the longest fifteen minutes of my life, we are done and are about to pull her out of the tub.

-     And then she glitters again.

I kid you not.  I almost started crying.

-     We clean her again, Micah cleans the bath tub again, and I put a new diaper on her and zip up her PJs.  Again.

-     Apparently we cut her off in the bath, because she freaking glitters again and needs yet another diaper change.  At this point, I really do cry.

-    We get another fresh diaper on her, zip up her PJs once again, and finally put her to bed.

As I soak in the tub a little while later, myself, trying to wash the day off, I do my best to have a little perspective.  I know these days are short.  I know that she won't be small forever.  And I thank the Lord that cuddles from Mommy can still fix almost anything.  I realize that one day she'll be sixteen with a broken heart, and my hug won't fix it.  

So for now, we'll deal with the dirty diapers.  

And do our best to steer clear of baking soda.

30 Before 30...

The older I get, the more I realize that this life is only ever going to be what I make it.  I'm discovering that I will constantly feel stretched between my roles as wife, momma, attorney, friend, daughter, etc., and that if I don't start living with intention, I'm going to wake up in 10 years and wonder where all the time went.  

So.  I turn 30 in roughly two years.  And between now and then, I want to do/see/experience/accomplish 30 things of significance.

Thirty things to make me braver.  Sillier.  Healthier.  More generous.  More spontaneous.

More intentional.

So here's what I came up with.  I started to create a predictably practical to-do list centered around Micah and Grace and our everyday lives, but I threw that list away.  These things are for me.  This is about me being better, which in turn will make me a better wife, momma, attorney, friend, daughter, etc.

Here goes nothing, y'all...

1. Stroll through Central Park again
2. Run a 10K
3. Make Pad Thai from scratch
4. Sing karaoke... in public
5. Publish something
6. Pay for a stranger's dinner
7. Buy a pair of ridiculously expensive shoes
8. Find my signature perfume
9. Finish reading the Bible
10. See a ballet
11. Try Bikram yoga
12. Volunteer
13. Sleep under the stars
14. Gamble in Vegas
15. Spend the day at the spa
16. Grow something edible
17. Sponsor a child through Compassion International
18. Fit into my wedding dress
19. Take a trip with the girls
20. Watch 10 Best Picture Oscar winners
21. Leave a $100 tip on a $20 tab
22. Do something that terrifies me
23. Sip champagne at sunset
24. Design a gorgeous home office
25. Be a mentor
26. Take a Sunday drive to nowhere
27. Drink wine in Napa
28. Give up Facebook for a month
29. Rap every word to Kanye West's "Gold Digger"
30. Create something beautiful

*** And although this isn't my usual style of confession, I'm linking up with Leslie today because it took some guts to commit to doing all of these things (and to even tell you guys that I apparently harbor a secret dream of becoming a rapper... ha!).

September 12, 2013...

To my really, really, ridiculously good looking hunk of a husband,

Can we just talk, for a minute, about how much I love you?  

I mean, first, there are the obvious things.  Like the fact that you're easy on the eyes and that I like to surreptitiously peek at you from across the room.  You are kind and considerate, and you often make me crazy with your insistence upon going out of your way (and sometimes mine) to do the right thing.  You're brilliant and funny and surprisingly quirky.  You ground me when I start to spin out of orbit.  You laugh at me when I forget how to laugh at myself.  You have the best "that's what she said" jokes.  You grill a mean steak.  You're basically the husband every girl dreams about as she dresses up in her mother's wedding dress and attaches a pillow case to her head for a veil.

But, if it's possible, you're an even better dad.

From the moment Gracie arrived, you've been more... just more than I could have ever imagined.  

You make bottles.  You wash bottles.  You clean spit up.  (Lots of spit up.)  You change diapers... even the really un-fun diapers.  You dispense medicine.  You carry the diaper bag.  You sing songs.  You give baths.  You read stories.  You give eskimo kisses.  You quiet the crying.  You brush hair.  You tickle toes.  You wash clothes.  You fold clothes.  You rock.  You snuggle.  

You love.

You do so much more than your fair share, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to tell you how much it means to me that you so willingly do so much.  

But what I hope you do know is how much it means to her.

Grace is already becoming such a little daddy's girl, and it's so obvious to me that she's totally and completely smitten with you.  

Just like her momma. 

Part of it is just the fact that you're there and that you spend so much time with her.  But I think it's more than that.  You've just got a way with her.  You are such a natural nurturer, and you put her at ease like it's what you were born to do.  She smiles at you nearly every time you look at her.  She looks for you across the room.  She laughs at your laugh.  She really does adore you.

So although I know I haven't told you nearly often enough how thankful I am for you, I think I speak for both Gracie and I when I say... thank you.

You're the very bestest.

Pantyhose head (the start of our DOC Band adventure)...

Pretty much from the minute we brought Grace home from the hospital and had a second to ogle every sweet, little inch of her, we noticed that her head was pretty darned flat.  As time went on, it seemed to get worse (particularly after she started sleeping in her crib), and when I brought it up to her pediatrician, she mentioned the possibility of Grace having to wear the DOC Band, but she wanted to give her some time and see if her head might round out on its own.

But it definitely didn't, so when her pediatrician suggested at her four-month appointment that we go see a specialist, it wasn't altogether shocking.  Girlfriend's totally got the pancake head, and I knew there were legitimate medical reasons that we should look into trying to fix it (in addition to the fact that she probably won't appreciate having a block head when she gets old enough to pay attention to what her ponytail looks like).

After the initial appointment, she was confirmed as a candidate for the DOC Band treatment, and we scheduled a follow-up appointment so that she could get fitted for her band.  

First, they put a little nylon cap over her head.

(How funny does our little bank robber look?  It's amazing how different she looks without her crazy hair.)

She was seriously so chill about it, which gives me hope that maybe the band won't be too terribly uncomfortable for her. (A mom can dream, right?)

And then they took several images of her head so that they can create a mold from which to make the band.

Again, Miss Priss was so well-behaved.  Except that about two minutes after they sat her up, I heard her telltale burp and knew a disaster was coming.  Just as I went to grab her burp cloth, she spit up everywhere.  These ladies were a pro, though, and just got her cleaned up, put a new cap on her, and kept right on going.  They had several light-up toys to draw her gaze up so that they could get the images they needed.

We headed back to the little exam room to get her dressed, and I asked Micah to snap a picture of Grace and me.

We did actually get a decent one... and then...

...she erupted again.  Micah caught this just as I was turning her away from me in an attempt to shield my dress from exposure.  This picture makes me laugh because it is so typical.  It's a good thing she's so cute... ;)

We head back next week to pick her band up and make sure it fits correctly.  And then she'll have to wear it nearly 24/7 for two to three months while her head (hopefully) grows in the direction the band encourages it to so that she ends up with a rounded out noggin.

The whole process definitely isn't something I'd choose to endure, but I am keeping it all in perspective.  I mean, I know keeping the band clean and dealing with the added complication of a baby who spits up all the time won't be super fun.

But honestly?  I'm just thanking the Lord that this little girl is otherwise a completely healthy and happy baby.  In the grand scheme of things, I know this time is so short, and, just like my struggles with breastfeeding, I refuse to spend it stressed out about things I can't control.  We could be dealing with some very serious condition or disease, and we aren't.  We could be struggling with some developmental disorder, and we aren't.  Just a little flat head that will hopefully round itself out with the aid of a super styling DOC Band.  (And you'd better believe I'm already brainstorming ideas for blinging that sucker out...)

I'll keep you guys updated on how things are progressing.  But until then, be expecting plenty of pictures of our girl in her newest accessory. :)

Paula Abdul and fortune cookies...

* Don't forget to join in on the House Party fun!  Just make sure and add #lovedandlovelyparty to your photos so we can all find you!

I snapped this picture as I was flying home from Charleston on Thursday.

There's nothing like floating along the top of a cloud to put things in perspective, is there?  Every time I fly, I'm struck by how incredibly creative God must be...

Speaking of creative, I snagged this onesie on Zulily a month or so ago.

I mean, how could I resist?  Every time I looked at Grace on Friday when she had it on, I saw visions of Paula's slick dance moves and her eighties bangs.

Have I shown you guys what Grace does when we put her in front of a mirror?

Ha!  Apparently that little girl in the mirror is pretty, y'all.  (Reminds me of some pictures I took of this sweet girl when she was right around Grace's age... goodness gracious, times files!)

On Saturday, we grabbed some Chinese food at a place we hadn't tried before (delicious, by the way), and this was my fortune:

I mean, I really hope so.

By some miracle, we managed to make it to church service AND Sunday School yesterday morning.

Momma may have looked like a hot mess, but this little girl sure was styling!

This dress was one of the first things I bought for Gracie when we found out she was a girl, and I was so excited when I put it on her last weekend and saw that it fit!  Of course, she then promptly spit up all over it, necessitating yet another outfit change and eliminating the possibility of Sunday School.  So you'd better believe that this time I snapped a bib around her neck just as soon as I pulled the dress over her head...

Grace and I snagged a sweet, little nap on the couch together yesterday afternoon before the Cowboys game while Micah studied for his engineering licensing exam.

(Isn't her little hand just the sweetest thing you've ever seen?)

And my mom and stepdad ended up joining us for pizza and a Cowboys victory over the Giants yesterday evening (whoop whoop!), so we missed the latest Dexter.  Don't tell me what happened!

This morning came entirely too early (particularly after the bizarre dream I had last night - isn't it so strange the things our subconscious comes up with?), but we're ready to take this week head on!  How about you guys?

Instagram House Party Details...

I'm kind of excited about this, you guys.  I adore all things home decor (my Pottery Barn addiction is well-documented here), and I love peeking into others' homes and getting inspiration.

So if you want to join in the fun next week, here's all you need to do.

1.  Take pictures around your house.
2.  Post a picture (or two... or ten!) of one room each day next week to Instagram.  (See suggested schedule below.)
3.  Include #lovedandlovelyparty with your picture so we can all find you.
4.  Go check out others' pictures and be inspired to create beautiful spaces in your own home!

That's it, y'all.  I'm so not trying to make this difficult - just wanted to have a little fun with my sweet friends!

I'll feature my favorites at the end of the week with links to your blogs, if applicable (so if you're not cool with me sharing your pictures here but still want to participate, leave a comment here or send me an email letting me know.)  But this is definitely not a contest, so please feel free to participate regardless of how big or small, finished or unfinished your space is!

Here's the schedule:

Monday:  Living Room

Tuesday:  Kitchen

Wednesday:  Master Bedroom

Thursday:  Dining Room

Friday:  Kids Room/Game Room/Bathroom/Guest Room/Other

(This is totally just a suggestion.  Don't worry if you miss a day or want to share your living room on Thursday - we're flexible here. :))

I'm looking forward to seeing all of your beautiful spaces next week!

Confessional Friday...

I hereby confess...

One.  I survived the trip to Charleston!  And so did Micah and Gracie.  The flight there was hard -- I was giving myself a pep talk the whole way there.  (And the tiny plane I was on didn't help...)  But I actually really loved Charleston.  Such a fabulously southern town with a great, laid-back feel, beautiful architecture, and amazing food.  I'll definitely be headed back for work again before long, and I'm really looking forward to it.  And Grace and Micah made lots of sweet daddy-daughter memories.  That little girl loves her Daddy, and I feel sure she didn't even notice that I was gone. :)

Two.  Is 28 the year in which one officially becomes old?  Because I've definitely done something terrible to my back,  y'all, and I'm feeling pretty granny-ish.  Hauling all my crap through two airports yesterday was torture, and I can barely pick Gracie up.  I anticipate some quality time with the heating pad this weekend.

Three.  I have no pictures of Gracie printed out in our house.  I'm basically the most terrible mother on the planet.  It's just that I keep forgetting to order prints, and by the time I remember, she's grown so much that I need to take new pictures!  I do have some printed at my office, but they're "old" already, too.  I did have a big ole' canvas made from one of Grace's newborn pictures.  But it's laying on the floor in our bedroom waiting for me to hang it up.

Four.  The Instagram house party for next week is ON!  I'll have all the details in another post this afternoon!

Five.  I just realized that I have no pictures in this post.  Unacceptable.

Alright, friends.  What are you confessing today?  Link up with Leslie and tell us!

Wanna party?

I'm alive, I promise. It's just been a crazy combination of work stuff and life stuff this week, and the blog had to take a back seat. But there are definitely some things worth sharing, so if you're in need of a brain break, grab some coffee, put your feet up, and stay a minute.

Our long weekend has consisted of lots of morning snuggles...

... some sweet, quality time...

... and lots of laundry. :)

Micah also got this gorgeous Aimee Weaver sign hung up in our breakfast nook.

I've been eyeing Aimee's gorgeous wooden signs for over a year now, and I finally just broke down and bought one.  She's got TONS in her shop, but this one was custom and is meant to be a happy reminder that life really is so sweet -- there is so much to soak in and be thankful for.  Micah and I have been talking a lot lately about what it is to live with intention and purpose, and we've been pondering our short and long term goals.  Hopefully I can find some time to share some of those things with you guys soon.

Let's see... what else?

Oh!  I'm headed to Charleston tomorrow for a couple of days for work.  This will be the first time I've been away from Gracie without Micah to keep me grounded, and I anticipate some teary FaceTime sessions.  Actually, I'm tearing up now just thinking about it.  But I know Micah will enjoy having some daddy-daughter time, and I've always wanted to see Charleston, so I'm sure we'll all survive.

I've been listening to my Francesca Battistelli Pandora station at work lately and am loving the small opportunities it gives me to worship throughout the day.  For me, out of sight is out of mind, so I definitely need constant reminders of His love and presence, and (the right kind of) praise and worship music really helps.  (Anyone else out there picky about their Christian tunes?  I always feel bad when I skip a song about Christ - ha!  But I feel sure that He totally gets that some of it is completely unrelatable.)

And last, but not least.  I've been contemplating doing an Instagram "party" next week.  I was thinking that it'd be fun if we all posted pictures of our homes throughout the week.  I know I'm always in need of some inspiration, and I think it's fun to see how other people decorate.  Would anyone be interested in joining me?  If so, I'll organize it and get you all the details sometime later this week so that you can get your photos ready.  (Or, if you're like me, you'll totally procrastinate and wait until the last minute to get them together, and that's completely okay, too. :))

Alright, friends.  I've got more work to do, a suitcase to pack, nails to paint (why, oh why, did I peel off my perfectly good gel manicure?), and a little girl to snuggle.  Talk soon?