•8 min read
Maine, Part II: Places and Things
We just returned from a wonderful trip to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine. I'm gradually sorting through both my photos and my thoughts from the trip, and as I do, I'm writing a few posts about our trip. This is the second of those posts....
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Strawberries
Not all that's easy is good, and not all that is good is "easy."
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Grace upon grace upon wildflowers
A few days ago, I wrote a draft of a post with this basic premise: "I'm stupid." I have this tendency where if I'm worried something won't happen at all if it doesn't work immediately, then I'll dive in headfirst, completely uninformed. Determined...
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Little victories
I've never considered myself a "spring person." And yet, every year, when the weather warms and the green comes back in waves (truly earlier here than pretty much anywhere else), I find it fills me up and surprises me far more than expected. So...
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A party in Ohio
On Tuesday, we returned from a trip up north to Ohio, to celebrate Nicholas' grandpa's birthday (with a surprise party!) and to spend time with family. The last time we were in Ohio was for his cousins wedding, a year ago, almost to the day. I wrote...
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Austin adventuring & family visits
Whenever we have family time, we cherish it. So this past week, when Nicholas' parents and his sister (and their two pups!) came to visit, we were thrilled. We stayed in and around Austin for the most part, visiting local restaurants and parks and...
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Where beauty grows
Everywhere I drive around Austin, I see wildflowers. They are pockets of color, persisting. From what I've read, wildflowers are more prone to grow where the soil has been "disturbed" so they grow more frequently along roadsides and in places one...
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2016: A year in review
At first glance, it was difficult for me to sum up this year. We didn't move across the country, we didn't start new jobs. But I don't want to categorize the past year on what we didn't do. We did make new friends, grow in our marriage, develop new...
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Canada, part III: What the mountains remind us
For more Canada-related posts in this mini series, see Canada, part I: Senses // Canada, part II: Places and things
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Canada, part II: Places and things
This is the second post in a series of three, in review of our trip to Alberta and British Columbia. In this post, I'll go over a few more of the logistics and details of the trip, as well as share a lot of pictures. Read Canada, part I: Senses here.
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Canada, part I: Senses
As I mentioned in my previous post, we just returned from the most wonderful trip to various parks throughout Alberta and British Columbia. This is the first of three posts where I'll talk about our trip. Read Canada, part II: Places and things here.
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Lessons from mid-summer
I frequently say that I want to be "a lifelong learner." It's a true sentiment, and it's not limited to dedicated time set aside to learn something. Even ordinary weeks afford plenty of lessons, if I only choose to learn them. When I sat down to...
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The fruit of belonging
We're nearing the two year mark since we moved to Austin in July 2014. This post has been floating around in my brain (well, technically, my heart, because I'll be forever be a feeler, rather than a thinker) for awhile. Everywhere we've lived, I've...
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Sunshine & macaroons
Nicholas' family came to Austin to visit this past week. Initially, it was just going to be a "girl's weekend," but then it turned into a week, and then his dad surprised us by leaving at three in the morning and driving the 17 hours with their two...
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A retreat
Last weekend, I spent some time away at a women's retreat with a bunch of wonderful women from our church. We went with expectant hearts, anticipatory for what God does when we take time to abide in His promises. Not surprisingly, Abide was the...
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Daily essentials: Activity routines
Since I wrote about my rest and comfort routines, it only seemed fitting to write about the converse: my activity routines. Although I've never been sedentary, I didn't partake in organized sports in my youth. I danced for many years and marched in...
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A simple market bag
The more I knit, the more my knitting tendencies skew to the practical side of things. Garment-wise, this means mostly neutrals. Because practically, that's what I wear (with a few notable exceptions). But when I knit accessories, I'm love color....
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Visiting family & San Antonio adventures
A few weeks ago, Nicholas' family visited us in Austin (of course, they're my family too)! Whenever we have visitors, we take them to our favorite spots, and usually explore some new ones with them.
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When it's a bad day
It's usually something I can't anticipate. Little by little, events of the day, residual feelings from the previous day, or wary anticipation can alter my day, pushing it firmly into the bad day category. Everyone has a different definition of what...
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A busy, floral week
Last week, my mom and grandma came into town to see the Texas wildflowers (oh, and us ;) We saw a lot of plants, and made sure to visit a few of our favorite "Austin" spots. In particular:
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Christmas happenings & last minute to-dos
Life has been very full lately! Busy work schedules and a visit from family, everyday scheduled things, plus Christmas preparations. It's been a good kind of busy. And this weekend we have lots of downtime planned, which I'm so looking forward to.
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Common mercies
From C.H. Spurgeon:
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A heart check & choosing to praise
I have known for a long time that the most effective way to retain phrases, verses, truths, or promises in my mind is to write them out. I usually don't understand something until I take the time to sit down, pen in hand, and write it word by word...
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A weekend away & a reminder to myself
We're home from another weekend camping trip—this one just a bit longer and in the company of our good friends. This park was significantly smaller than Inks Lake, but it was still enjoyable to be outside and do some hiking. We played euchre (for...
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Camping at Inks Lake
We enjoyed a brief but lovely camping trip at Inks Lake State Park this past weekend. We thought of it as a belated anniversary getaway, of sorts. Despite our mutual love for camping and countless camping trips over the years, this was our first...
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