Today I appreciate:
-espresso con panna
-walking to work at 5:40 in the morning when the city is quiet and magic
-slants of afternoon sun on a cloudy day while people play Frisbee in the street
-my work
-notebooks that fit in my pocket
-big pockets
-small naps and the sweet boy that curls up with me
-my mom’s butter cookie recipe. I forgot that it was one of my very favourites.
-Fresh, lovely flickr favourites like this and this and this.
-feeling healthy
- seeing familiar faces in unexpected places
- a little girl laughing when her dad ordered “peaberry beans”
- the dad showing the beans to his daughter and teaching her a bit about coffee. she said they smell good.
-a letter from a four year old. in my letter, she gave me the letters A N N N.
-the city growing quiet, again
What are some things you appreciate today?
Dear friends and family,
I know you haven’t gotten you your thank you notes yet. Trust me when I say that it is not out of lack of gratitude; Adam and I were totally blown away by your generosity and so pleased by your presence. It is just that I have always detested writing thank you notes and procrastinate them as long as I can. And I am sorry, not so much about the thank you notes, but that I haven’t really expressed my gratitude to you very well at all. Because I am very, very thankful. Thank you.
I’m going to try to get those notes out to you, but it will probably be a while longer. I’ve been swamped lately, and for my health and sanity need to chill a bit. But you guys are friends. You guys are family. So, I’m pretty sure you’ll have grace with me. We all know I need it. 
Love,
Lindsey
An autumn treasure hunt from Andrea:
This autumn, I want to ride this around this slowly to soak in all of these.
I want to pick these here with him.
I want to do do this with these two. And then maybe have a double date with them or them making these.
I want to make many cans full of this to keep in the cupboards and give away. I want to eat these every delicious way possible and stir many bubbling pots of this.
I want to finish reading this and read this for the thousandth time. I want to enjoy scribbling diligently away at this.
I want to watch the rest of these. Perhaps while making and eating these.
I want to have a whole day with her.
Your turn!
I’ve never had their tacos…
but I sure love their photobooth.
On September 16th one year ago, I biked home from work very fast on a very hot day. I usually wanted to get home quickly, but this day my little legs were movin’! I had to get home because there was a boy that I had to tell yes, I wanted to be his girlfriend.
A proposal, a wedding, and many boxes of mochi ice cream later, here we are again on September 16th. He still lets me drink as much coffee from his cup as I want, just like he said I could back when he had a big fat crush on me. Actually, I think he still has a big fat crush on me. The feeling is mutual.
It has not been a breeze by any stretch of the imagination. It has been stretching. It has been challenging, and I have grown, especially in this small bit of marraige. I know I have a lot more growing to do. But I would be lying if I said that every day of it wasn’t wonderful. Every squabble, every small kiss, every dish we neglect to wash, every ache, every painful tear, every cool quiet night we curl up tightly together and fall asleep in our bed, it has all been so precious. I love loving Adam. I love it.
Thank you, dear for this year. It has been a ride. It has been a delight. Thank you for your relentless patience. Thank you for always trying. Thank you for the face you make that says “I love you.” Thank you for taking walks with me in autumn.
I have wanted to write about these flowers for a while. They are the first flowers I bought for my home with Adam. I wanted to talk about home and, even though it isn’t finished, how good it feels to come here after work on a cold day and wrap myself in a blanket and drink wine and bake cookies. Or how nice it is to wake up early and write by the window while I watch people walking to the busstop. I would also love to tell you about how sweet the cold is today, how refreshing it is to put on socks and boots, and how fun to watch people under their umbrellas. I would love to write about cold toes and gingersnaps and running after the bus with a friend.
But it seems like there is so much more to write than that. These days have been so rich, and these small things, the songs I listen to, the sweet morning pipes, the rain, have been rich in them. They haven’t been rich in a way that is dear or pleasant, but that richness that seems to twist and ache in my stomach because it is so big and delicious and I am so small.
I got an e-mail that inquired if work was my main focus. It is not. I think she meant compared solely to school, but I want to address this to give you some idea of where I’m at. My first focus, what has been stealing my thoughts and aching in my guts is God. That isn’t anything new. But it is. Something new is happening, and I don’t have any idea what it is or what it looks like, but I know that being with him is better than anything, even if it hurts sometimes. Love is like that. My second focus is Adam, on figuring out this wife thing a little, learning to love him, learning him. My third focus, that is writing.
I am excited for this year. I am excited to see what becomes of these things. And whether you just stumbled on this blog or we are dear old friends, I am so glad you are along on the ride.
Yesterday, despite heavy rain and possibly a slight fever, I drove to the opposite town to see if I could wiggle my way into a writing for children workshop I was on the waiting list for. I got in, and I learned some things, but I think the largest thing I learned was that I drove across town in a blinding downpour just on the offchance that someone might not show up and I could take their place to learn something about writing.
I’ve never considered myself a person who is passionate or proactive. People like Janelle and Katrina, they are passionate and proactive, I say to myself. Not me. I like to sit at home with tea and cake and someone I love. But it’s funny how little seeds turn into real live things while you’re not looking, and suddenly you’ve got this little tree on your hands that you weren’t expecting and aren’t sure you know how to take care of.
I still don’t consider myself “passionate”, but I will say that sometimes I love things. The most surprising thing about loving writing is that it’s hard, like loving Adam, like loving God. I think I’m falling in love with many things these days. I don’t always like it. But I love it.
I know it’s personal, but let’s be personal for a moment. What are you falling in love with?
Look no farther. Check out the new post-wedding site that Adam put together.
