All By My Lonesome

This week, I am all by my lonesome. Morgan is backpacking in the wilderness with our high schoolers. He can't even talk to me on the phone. I am not cool with that. It's funny - we've been married over a year and a half, and I still don't like it when he's not around. We are just silly in love like that.

Today after seeing Morgan and the kiddos off, I went to the farmers market. I got some fresh lavender (thinking I'm going to make some lavender vanilla bean ice cream tonight!) and some local honey. I can't leave the farmers market empty handed. I mean, come on.

Blessings

I came home from a really long day to find that my husband left me this sweet message:

Today was pretty crazy. There is no easing back into reality. We are sort of crashing into it. But I find that's when I am most aware of how blessed we are. Because in the midst of everything, there are moments like coming home and finding this on my chalk board.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow...

{Doxology}

Happy Birthday Leanna!

Happy birthday to my beautiful best friend, Leanna! Friend really isn't enough of a word. We are more like sisters. She knows everything about me, even the not so glamourous things. We have been inseparable since the ninth grade when we had Career Connections class together. And the rest is history. I don't know what I would be without her.

Here we are in our high school days. Yep. Not much has changed.

Leanna, thank you for always listening to me, for plucking my eye brows, for always making me feel like I am enough, just the way I am. I love you. Happy birthday!

* * *

Morgan and I are safely home from our Epic Journey. We are pretty beat. We arrived this morning around nine, at which point we collapsed in bed. A busy week lies ahead. It may be a little post-lite for awhile. xo.

Sanibel Island

We are back from our annual trip to Sanibel Island. Sanibel is one of the most beautiful, relaxing places I know. We played in the surf. We bathed in the sun. And we ate. Man, did we eat.

Morgan, battling it out with his dinner of crab legs...

Being landlocked in Colorado, we don't have access to really great seafood. We had to take advantage of fresh seafood while we had the ocean actually in sight. Crab cakes, crab legs, shrimp and grits, grouper... My mouth is watering even now, just thinking about it.

Tomorrow we head back to Colorado. I am not looking forward to the drive, but I am looking forward to falling into my bed when it's over.

Freedom of Expression

We just spent a delightful week in Athens with my family. I am not ready for it to be over :(

Tonight, we leave for Sanibel Island, where we will be spending Fourth of July with Morgan's family. Knowing Morgan, he will be breaking out his American flag tank top and "jorts". It's his favorite outfit, and I only let him wear it once a year, to the fireworks show in Sanibel.

Georgie hanging out the car window. Nothing says happiness quite like this.

Hope you all have a happy Fourth! Safe travels. xo

Home

We made it safely to Georgia. We got in last night around dinner time. Morgan's parents took us out to Mellow Mushroom. Then we made daiquiris and watched a movie.

It feels so good to be home. As we crossed the state line into Georgia, I did some crazy dance in my seat (not easy with a seat belt on). I love my home state. I love everything about it. I love the way the air smells when it rains. I love how lush and green the landscape is. I love how friendly people are (most of the time) and how there are stands on the side of the road selling everything from peaches to onions to pralines. I love being home.

Here are the girls during the looooooong drive. Somebody took up the entire back seat. Somebody else is not happy about it.

But they finally worked it out.

Wedding shenanigans officially start tonight. We are going to dinner at my all-time favorite Atlanta eatery -- Swallow at the Hollow. We will enjoy some BBQ and live bluegrass, and then bachelorette madness will follow. I can't wait.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my amazing dad!

I love his glasses. This was also my smile-without-showing-teeth phase.

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I caught up with Morgan and the kids at RYM. I went on the zip line and stayed for the annual cookout / dance party. It was awesome. Morgan says he was very encouraged by the week. I will give a more thorough update about RYM on our ministry blog.

Tomorrow is the last day before we head out on our Epic Journey. YEAH!